Generations now; have grown up in front of screens or monitors that entertain and educate us daily. Mediums can be integrated into our wide range of activities and simultaneously exist as spaces through which we exchange information. A phone, tablet, and PC/MAC can all be used to view pictures, and have cameras attached. We write, chat, and text people across the World Wide Web, and with the internet, whichever point of access you rely on is probably the first place of inquiry when you seek knowledge. Though a great tool, it led to the demise of entire industries because they failed to revolutionize at the onset of the internet. The music industry, the film industry, physical media distribution, and phone service business models(Taxi), are just examples. Relics of ancient times...
But what does that have to do with the title of this post?
Well, that's simple! I'm putting words in your mouth to help fabricate a conclusion for later!
Things got easier for people in terms of managing day-to-day free time. Almost everybody has time for more than one hobby. I have had many different hobbies, from chess, running, swimming, and weight training, to now where I balance between film, video games, and writing, but all share the same thread of insanity, that concludes in self-improvement or self-betterment as the benefit of completing the process.
Why is this insane you ask? That is because you are never doing anything for the dumbfuck of it anymore! I read comic books because I like reading them, or I hope to collect key issues and have real trade value down the line? I only watch films that are highly rated because they are less likely to waste my time or do I want to witness cinema at its finest? I run every day because it's the bare minimum I can do to stay in shape or to improve my cardio? There are two reasons for any one thing, and while one may seem more practical, the second always has a tint of something.. narcissistic. But that's okay.
I saw a joke on Facebook the other day that was abstractly funny, but most people in the comments were unaware of it merely falling for the puzzle as bait. In the form of a meme, it read 'Most People In Society Are Narcissistic', followed by a puzzle of 13 disjointed squares overlapping each other, some within others, and another headline reading 'Count the Squares'. It is common to have a puzzle-to-reward ratio of return 1:1. After completing the puzzle, what could you expect, perhaps a deep dive into the cauldron of C.G. Jung interpolating people's different types and narcissistic realities? Or was the meme poorly cooked combining a real puzzle with some windy point about narcissism? Would people readily compare their results with an answer sheet to hopefully pat themselves on the back? Maybe this moment right there, the self-congratulatory pat yourself on the back for completing a puzzle on the internet that's framed for smart people to react to! 'You did it so you too must be smart!' Maybe that is what they meant by the point on narcissism... Lol.
And that's exactly what it is. The education system has subtly lied here and there, whether it's just the teacher, or the direction of the government itself, about the students' permanent road to self-betterment. Everything in the school curriculum has a puzzle-to-reward ratio, that is the way of the education system. They have tried to say it's science, and most probably believe them. Whether it be original sin, or trying to fit 'in', people have always got something to work on.
How is self-improvement narcissistic then?
Any and all self-improvement can only be proven through empiricism, which in attaining the value sought after, one has achieved the physical form reflective of their worth. It can be pitiable that someone would want to have better fitness to be more attractive, but you can see that this person wants to change not for health reasons, but to have an appearance they are more comfortable with.
In conclusion, the point of this rant has been to demystify narcissists. I wanted to show that at its very core, there is a fabrication of personal interests resting within our decision-making processes embedded in our everyday lifestyles, and its prevalence in our society exists today due to vast forms of media and Western man's hobby-built ethos.
