Narcissism… Who Me?

Narcissism—we're all guilty to one degree or another. It's part of being human to a certain degree.

Our narcissism is exposed in our obsessive thoughts about our weight.

Even retailers have taken our obsession straight to the bank with today's vanity sizes. Who really wears a size -0?

It's exposed in the countless day spas and fitness centers across the country.
It's exposed in our $85-every-four-weeks hairstyles.
It's exposed in how easily duped we are by the promise of expensive gadgets and gizmos to make us look and feel younger.

Our self-obsession hasn't made us a happier nation over all. Our French tips, all-over tans, and rock solid bodies have done nothing to diminish the number of anti-depressant prescriptions sliding across pharmacy counters everyday. That's because the glances of admiration and envy we get from all the time and effort we put into ourselves provides only a quick and shallow fix.

Narcissism is even more prevalent everywhere we turn—"I must look out for number one" and "live for self" is the mentality of most. Self involvement breeds more self-involvement because it all just seems so normal. Think about the conversation you might have recently had with a friend over lunch:

"Do you think I've lost weight?"
"Well, now that you mention it, you do look a bit thinner—not that you needed to lose anything. I'm the one who could stand to lose a couple pounds."
"You? Don't be silly. Your still wearing a size 4, aren't you? What's the problem?
"Well, actually, I'm a 2 now. But I've only been able to get to the gym three times a week lately, so I've been worried about my weight."

Can we imagine holding a conversation like that while on a mission trip in India? For that matter, can we imagine walking up to anyone we really respect and admire and asking, "Does this outfit make me look fat?"

"Of course not!" you protest, "Those conversations are personal and private!"
No they're not. They're just stupid.

Wouldn't it be glorifying to God, and utterly freeing to us, if we made a pact to help one another recover from our narcissistic tendencies rather than remaining narcissism enablers? Come on… we can do it.