SO many ways to respond to this.

There light and shadow in almost all things. It the most meta level, the Internet is an awesome invention because it allows us to have instant communication with like-kind people all over the world. That's light. On the shadow side, we have reached a place where our lives have transitioned from merely being lives to — for many people — being public performances.

I don't know shit, and I know that I don't know shit. What I do know — purely based on personal observation — is that being cool, altruistic, benevolent, kind, narcissistic and various other things have become increasingly conceptualized as opposed to simply being what you are.

I live by the beach. I pick up trash when I walk around out there, meditating. Nobody knows. Perhaps nobody cares. I just don't like trash on the beach, so I pick it up and put it in the bin back at the car park. It's just something I do. It's not a photo op, virtue signaling, a cry for attention, an invitation for praise or anything else... and it honestly makes me feel exhausted to even think about it in those terms.

Narcissism epidemic? Perhaps it speaks more to how disconnected and insignificant and possibly powerless people generally feel.

Thanks for a thoughtful piece!