The Nightmare of Narcissism
Simone Riva - Michelangelo Merisi's work, created in the late 1500s, photographs the young Narcissus intent on contemplating himself, a ruthless image of the continuous human attempt to make himself enough, in the face of the dizzying need for infinity he feels in his heart, a life in front of the mirror.
One thus begins to try to assert oneself in all circumstances, investing energy to keep one's lack at bay, which remains the most invincible obstacle before the attempt to fall in love with one's own image.
The young man who mirrors himself in a pool of water is not far from our mirroring ourselves in smartphone screens, in the realization of our projects, in the complacency of the world's small or great fame… On the other hand, we try to block everything we are unable to possess so that we delude ourselves that we can manage what, in reality, eludes us. We become frightened, for example, when our human, or that of our children, wakes up unexpectedly.
We run for cover to get the situation under control as soon as possible, calling in experts of all kinds for everything to be resolved. Thus, on the one hand, we distrust true novelties because we believe that, after all, they are in the business of inconveniencing us; on the other hand, we pass off as novelties what, instead, already smells dead. We think of certain ways of standing in the face of the temperament and reactions of our youngsters, or those insistences on what would be the urgencies of the present time without fully understanding it, rather than the continual falling into the temptation to be satisfied with the things we manage to possess with our own hands.
Even in Jesus' time, after all, this was what happened: they tried to curb it to reaffirm themselves. Not surprisingly, in a famous Gospel passage, the Lord says: “New wine must be put into new wineskins” (Luke 5:38).
A life spent in front of the mirror does not allow us to discover the newness that awaits us, the voice that calls our name because we turn around and stare at an Other instead of our own image.
Pope Francis launched a very interesting provocation in 2017 about this very challenge: “So many people today seek visibility only to fill an inner void: as if we were people eternally in need of confirmation.
However, can you imagine a world where everyone is begging for reasons to get other people's attention, and no one is willing to love another person for free instead?
Imagine such a world: a world without the gratuitousness of loving!
It looks like a human world, but in reality it is hell. So much of man's narcissism stems from a feeling of loneliness. Behind so many seemingly inexplicable behaviors lies a question: is it possible that I do not deserve to be called by name, that is, to be loved?
Because love always calls by name….” The real nightmare of narcissism is the risk of not being called by name, of not being loved. Psalm 139 gives us the antidote: “I will celebrate You because I have been made in wonder.” It is this wonderment that we need.
The author did not revise the text nor the translation.
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Simone Riva is a prominent figure in Monza, Italy, known for his role as a priest and his contributions to local media. Fr. Simone Riva serves as the vicar parish priest at Sant'Ambrogio in Monza. He is the author of a popular column called "Fuori dal coro" (Outside the Chorus) in the Giornale di Monza.This column has been running for over a year and has gained a significant following among readers.
