NarcisSUS

Yes, to the returning readers, I apologise for the second consecutive Greek mythology reference for The Intellekt, but I guarantee that the parallel I establish in this article is utterly fascinating. To sum up the myth, Narcissus did the equivalent of seducing himself by looking into his own reflection in a pond which was, in fact, such a powerful force, that it extinguished his ability to look away. It is a hyperbole of one of the most ubiquitous quandaries attractive people confront every morning! I’d care to take this opportunity to illustrate one of the most central connotations we can receive in our modern life from an almost comedic piece of literature. Now before I elaborate, we must undergo our almost canonical divergent claim which for this article will be the absolute distorted and reduced perception of modern dating. Before everyone is confused, I promise everything will make sense after we un-diverge. As someone who has just arrived in the industry, allow me to present what I believe (some of) the older generation has exaggerated out of proportion about “modern dating”. Firstly, that modern dating is inherently built on lustful intentions rather than genuine connections established on personality and compatibility. Secondly, that it is an alien, ultra-fast-paced phenomenon that makes heartbreak expected, just because it is “young love”. Rebutting the first point, it is astounding how we can discern that the digital age is more connected than ever and also be functionally blind to the notion that we fundamentally have more access to other personalities and communication. Maybe we also don’t commit to one partner because we statistically care more about ourselves and the way we want to be treated that naturally makes us more selective in choosing a person for us. It is absurd to stigmatise a generation for the human desperation to be understood by someone. We want love so badly that we don’t stop looking even once we have it. On the topic of absurdity, maybe the tale of Narcissus eloquently describes a modern relationship? While younger relationships may be misunderstood, they have their own distinct flaws. One of the less admirable qualities of social media is the influence it has on the psychology on the young brain. It creates new insecurities and worsens the existing ones, we become so obsessed with ourselves that judgement becomes an inseparable appendage to our identities. The diversity of the knowledge that is overwhelmingly spreading on social media places a burden on the youth’s shoulders to constantly be looking at yourself; analysing your body shape after seeing a model, comparing the third of December posts to your current state, seeing the college acceptance reactions to where you got rejected — there is no one corner of the internet where, as a viewer, can you stop looking at yourself. Narcissus, could after all, be in a toxic relationship with the pond he was staring at because he was self-absorbed to the extent that he couldn’t see anything but his own reflection. Does the reflection represent paralysing self-awareness? What if Narcissus was an insecure man who needed his curls to be perfect? Tell me that we do not look at the mirror for hours in the morning — scouring for any blemish on our face; tell me we do not zoom in to every one of our pictures and rethink posting it; tell me we do not see what dating has for us: the hugs we never got, the story we never posted, overthinking whether she treats me right, or is right for me. Debating these interpretations won’t change the actual myth but maybe sticking to the story was never the point. Myths and fiction — in their most abecedarian definition — are dubious in terms of whether they’re real or not, and maybe this uncertainty of their existence is why they are so very intriguing. When we are taught facts and history, we already know the significance of each speech, motive of each war, and words of each letter; corollary, a crucial outcome would be killing that essence that stories possess. Perhaps it is the quality of ambiguity that renders myths such as Narcissus to be constantly reimagined by minds such as mine and yours. We are just like Narcissus — but we would never have known that if we did not live in this exact circumstance. People say myths were written by scholars — but no, they are written by us, by the time we live in, by the problems we overlook. You could argue that creating a story is like placing a letter with one sentence written, in a bottle and sending it off to sea; for the people of the future to write another sentence and send it back to the ocean. Narcissus is just one of many letters, in one of many bottles; this is the sentence I add, and this is me placing it back in the glass bottle it came in, and sending it off to sea. Bon voyage!