Narcissus

"Solitude is a distinctive characteristic of adolescence. Narcissus, the solitary, is the very image of the adolescent. It is during this period that we become aware of our singularity for the first time. But the dialectic of emotions intervenes once more: since adolescence is extreme self-consciousness,  it can only be transcended by self-forgetfulness, by self-surrender. Therefore solitude is not only a time of solitude but also of great romances, of heroism and sacrifice." Paz, pg. 203

Ayrton on Christmas morning!

      I want to address Paz's idea that Narcissus is the very image of the adolescent. To the right is a picture of my cousin, Ayrton. He has NPD, Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  I learned a lot about the pathological form of narcissism when he lived with me and my family!

       All people can have Narcissistic or selfish tendencies. Paz associated narcissism with adolescence, which is true for most people. For those with NPD, near the end of adolescence is when they first start getting diagnosed. Some of the easiest symptoms of Narcissism to recognize are extremely fragile self confidence; an excessive need for validation, attention, admiration, etc.; experiencing feelings of rejection too easily; and acting unemotional or "tough" most of the time.

      Also, in Ayrton's case, he can only understand people as objects. For example, if you kick an object, it will still work the next day. If you kick a person, they are going to act differently around you as a result. For some reason Ayrton does not make those connections. In Levinas' terms, Ayrton sees all people in their most finite.

       A lot of times he will do what normal people would consider "mean" things (never out of meanness, always out of self-gratification) and then act like nothing happened later. It's kind of endearing at first but then it becomes exhausting.

       The point is that Ayrton, as an extreme case, totally supports Paz. If we, as narcissists in our adolescence, heal ourselves and our solitude by looking outside ourselves to see others and their needs, we truly are heroes! I mean, if Ayrton was finally able to do that by overcoming the the wall that prevents him from seeing others, he would be my hero. Knowing Ayrton it is easy to see that by embracing Levinas' ideas (that we indeed are our brothers' keepers, and that humans are infinite beings), we can heal the pains of our own solitude, reverse our narcissistic tendencies, and achieve the great "romances, heroism, and sacrifice," described by Paz.