Sometimes, when you find out that someone is a narcissist, one of the first things you do will most likely be to condemn them because that’s easily one of the worst traits that a person can have. Like, being a narcissist is just not something anyone would want to have in their space. And the reasoning is very understandable.
Many times, they are insufferable, loud, and really opinionated. They believe that theirs is only what matters, and everything else can burn in the lake of fire. As long as it’s not from them, then it’s not good enough. They have an overly inflated version of themselves in their head, and they get really pissed off when no one else sees it.
But once in a while, I have to think. Sometimes, the world itself pushes people into these very things. Right from childhood, we’re always taught to pipe low. Kids are cautioned to keep quiet when elders are speaking, shut up because they don’t know anything. We were never given a chance to speak as kids simply because the adults around us didn’t believe we could have an opinion worth listening to. This was the kind of silence that was instilled in us.
And this is something that touched every area of our lives as well. In school, we were made to cut our hair, girls only wore specific hairstyles, regardless of the type of hair we had or what we as a person believed was best for us. We wore uniforms carefully chosen and curated to the point that a child could be suspended if their uniform was even slightly different from what was required. Only speak when you’re spoken to, and anything else, no one gives a damn about your ideas.
And now, growing up, we’re in a society governed by leaders who still don’t give a damn about us. We have governments that make policies as if they don’t realize the impact such policies have on the people. Or maybe they know, they just don’t care. From the government, to the economy, to the weather, insecurity, hell, even the way everyone else behaves. One thing that is quite glaring in all these examples is the fact that in it all, we’re just helpless.
We can’t do anything about our situation. Not as kids in school, or kids in our parents' homes, or citizens living under the thumb of the government. We cannot do anything to change our situation, but then, maybe, just maybe, we can change the way the people around us see us. Maybe if we project ourselves in a certain way, people will see us in a better light, and we won’t be looked down on anymore. If we exaggerate our worth, our opinions will matter more. Because maybe if we can change how people see us, we could change how they rate us as well.
And therein lies the problem. Because many times, while going for the love and admiration of everyone, they tend to forget that others, too might like some love and admiration, and when they don’t get it, or when they see someone else getting it, they crash out. They refuse to accept corrections because it’s basically them admitting that they’re wrong, they use people without a second thought, they do everything they can to get their way because, in the end, that’s the only thing that matters to them. The rest of the world can burn for all they care.
It’s crazy!
