March - with Flower

March Flower

Two narcissists were chatting one day
then each in turn as he turned away

thought, yes, I told some wonderful stories
recounting some of my fondest glories.

Sometime later with time to recover
each then thought about the other.

Narcissus-Caravaggio_(1594-96)
The daffodil is the Flower for March.

also known as narcissus.

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I had originally thought to do a story on Narcissus for the Spring theme last month, but it seemed a bit premature. Besides, the story I was thinking of would have been rather difficult to put together.

I don't know about daffodil flowers in other areas but the ones around here last only a few days.

If Narcissus was gazing into the reflection, he would have seen himself age. Kind of the opposite of the plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mood in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic world view: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life.

Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and records every sin.
en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: pthena


Ummm...if Narcissus were gazing into the pool and watching himself age...then there would be no...”each in turn as he turned away”...

Perhaps we could reflect on that...


We are the pool you know...






YouSir

a reply to: YouSir

there would be no...”each in turn as he turned away”...

I was trying to paint narcissism as not necessarily a terminal disease.

For selfish reasons, I imply that empathy and narcissism may not be so disconnected.

When someone writes a post about a bad situation, and the response is "Oh yeah, something like that happened to me. I was …" Is that empathy or is that narcissism?

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This is what happened several years ago, like 20 or so:

I wrote a very tearjerker story about Orpheus and Eurydice, specifically their ascent from hell. Orpheus was playing his fingers to the bone, singing songs about life and living things because that was the only way he could remember where he was leading Eurydice and himself back too.

The strings of the Lyre broke. His throat clenched up from the strain. His fingers were mostly gone. He couldn't go on singing. So he forgot where he was going; forgot who was following him. That's why he turned around.

The broken, defeated man crawled out alone. His broken voiced mourning cries haunted the hills, until even the cries ended. (I took liberties with the end).
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So anyway, I got some co-workers together and read the story to them, crying and everything.

There was a contracted Psycologist at the work facility. She asked to read the story. When she'd read it, she asked me "Have you ever considered that you just may be narcistic?"

So whatever the case may be, we have what we have, and perhaps what matters is what we do with it. That's why I made the contrast between Narcissus and Dorian Gray.

( I don't even know what emoji is appropriate here )

a reply to: pthena


Ummm...that would depend on how much of the protagonist was a reflection of the inner you....

Telling a first person perspective story doesn’t always equate accounts of a personal nature...

Still...I think narcissism is natural and healthy...after all...whose perspective do we really have as a metaphor for interpersonalization...if it weren’t our own...

Self absorption is a natural aspect of and key to actuation and evolution of self...until we fully comprehend our nature we can’t accurately adjust our perceptions and perspectives into any amalgamation resembling honest appraisal...

The old saying...everything in moderation is perhaps one of the greatest truths we can find...
introspection with an equal measure of extroversion...provides balance...while duality unmakes it’self at that apex...

It’s all about equilibrium...so if you recognize narcissism in your own nature...then know your on the right track...it’s by looking inward...that we discover how best to express our outer man...





YouSir