What Became of the Man Who Fell in Love with Himself?

Oh, so you value yourself more than anybody else? You are confident in your appearance and believe that you are the finest in terms of beauty, intelligence, and charm. Congratulations! You probably have found that the only person you gaze at with adoration is yourself in the mirror.

The term "narcissism," which characterizes this uncommon mental illness, first originated in the past. According to Greek mythology, the name "Narcissus" belonged to a fascinating character whose life story might help you understand how too much self-love can lead to a lot of issues. There are explanations for why people act narcissistically, but before we learn them, let's examine the myth.

There are various narcissistic stories. Narcissus was the offspring of two mythical animals. When he was born, a fortune teller informed his parents that their son would live till he saw himself in such a clever way. As a result, they got rid of all mirrors and other reflective items from the home. Local nymphs and girls fell in love with him, but Narcissus didn't like anyone. One day, a nymph named Echo saw him walking among flowers and trees and instantly fell in love with him. Later, she told him about her feelings, but Narcissus rejected her, which broke her heart. She fled and hid in the depths of the forest, where she was unable to drink or eat due to such savagery.

Wow, Nemesis Narcissus. This could get confusing. Anyway, Narcissus once saw his reflection in the pond and couldn't take his eyes off of it. He stared at himself in love for several weeks before life left him because he didn't drink or eat anything during that time. Oh, and he also vanished. However, he left behind a beautiful flower near the pond. This flower was named after him. At least that's better than being called Potsi.

In another story, Echo didn't want to live with such a curse, so she hid herself in a dark cave. She decided to live there until the end of her days. A little time had passed, and then she noted Narcissus walking by. The nymph immediately found a new meaning in life as she fell in love with the young man. But how do you confess your feelings when she couldn't talk to him normally?

Therefore, Echo decided to ask the forest for help. She had some magical abilities that allowed her to control animals and trees. She used birds and the leaves of trees to somehow share her feelings with Narcissus. The young man immediately realized the nymph was in love with him, but he said no without hesitation. He was too interested in himself and didn't want to share such a person with someone else. Or maybe he liked no one at all. Perhaps he was looking for an ideal of beauty that didn't exist in nature.

The already unhappy Echo became even sadder. She returned to her cave and began to cry. She couldn't eat and drink and she decided that she would stay there forever. In the last days, Echo asked Nemesis to restore justice and punish Narcissus for his arrogance. Nemesis deprived him of the opportunity to love someone else and forced him to love only himself.

Then one hot day Narcissus went to the pond to cool down a little. He bent on his knees to drink some water and saw the reflection. At that moment the prophetess's words came true. Narcissus was so amazed by his beauty that he couldn't take his eyes off the pond’s surface. He got so caught up, he kept himself from eating or drinking the water in front of him. He didn't quench his thirst because the beauty wasn't letting him go. Wow, there's a whole lot of starving going on over somebody's good looks. Anyway Narcissus is bent down so low that he fell into the water and he never surfaced again.

The forest's nymphs were unable to locate him. While the nymphs mourned him on Earth, Narcissus was in the Underworld, and even there, he couldn't stop admiring himself. As the women lamented, a lovely flower with white petals blossomed on the river shore, and they called it, “Narcissus” after the handsome young man. The eternal gaze and his reflection caused him to be infinitely unhappy and happy at the same time. Such a character doesn't elicit sympathy because people don't like narcissistic personalities, but another version of the famous legend justifies the young man's actions. A famous Greek traveler and geographer described in one of his books the young man's actions.

Narcissus had a lovely twin sister who had the appearance of two drops of water. When she tragically passed away, Narcissus was heartbroken. However, when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he was unable to look away because his face reminded him of his sister, and he didn't want to be separated from her once more.

These are all myths that provide us with an accurate depiction of a particular type of person's personality; although this story sounds gloomy, narcissists constantly consider their success. They believe they are exceptional and superior to other people, and they only want to speak with those who share their high level of uniqueness, splendor, beauty, and some perfect love with ideal individuals.

It's difficult to be in a relationship with narcissists because they are self-centered and lack empathy. They also have trouble reading other people's emotions. Narcissists live in a fantasy world about their greatness. However, sometimes this love of oneself becomes excessive. After seeing a depressing movie, you start crying, but a narcissist lacks the ability to comprehend your feelings due to all of these unfavorable traits.

The company of narcissists is usually enjoyable since they have a knack for making you laugh and grabbing your attention. You can fly to another country right now if you want, no problem. Hey, it's a bigger problem if you jump without one. How about you? It's all cool. But then you realize that it's difficult to be friends with this person because you can't share joy, sadness, and other emotions. Don't think that narcissists have complex characters because they're not good people and they don't love themselves.

Imagine that your parents only praised you for your accomplishments and appearance from the day of your birth; did you win the swimming competition? Great; you passed the exam without a hitch? You're so handsome; your parents tell you, “Good job.” You'll become a good doctor, firefighter, or lawyer. Sounds cool, doesn't it? But what about your inner state, your feelings, if no one sees them in you?

Any person needs the support of inner emotions and states to prevent forming an emotional void inside. Narcissistic people try to fill it with a sense of admiration and praise, but these things cannot replace love, which is why s/he will pay attention to you if you are as popular and successful and even more fantastic.

Perhaps the mythological parents of the Narcissus character admired his beauty so much that they forgot about the moral formation of their son. It is difficult to convince someone who admires themselves to go through the therapy because if they agree to it, they admit that there is something wrong with them. Such recognition is a challenging test to those who love themselves too much. The doctor tries to guide the patient through the feelings and emotions they experienced in the distant past in order to find the reasons that made them a narcissist. It is a long and complex therapy, but it is fairly effective.