Lately I have been very disillusioned with society. Not just because Donald Trump won. I know his winning has caused global stress. Not just because of Brexit, or that 25% of voters in France are far right voters.
All I see are selfies every where.
‘Love your body’
‘Lose weight’
‘body image’
‘thinspiration’
‘looks amazing’
‘Wow you look so good’
‘Wow look at you stunner’
And the likes and comments pour in and in and in until they are drowning in comments about their looks.
‘You ugly’
It’s all about appearance. Don’t get me wrong, a selfie here and there is fine. But a constant stream of selfies makes one seem, at the very least, self absorbed.
And then people become so depressed because everybody seems to have such a good life but they don’t. And their compare and compare and all the heads are looking up at those who have more instead of those who have less.
‘Oh her house is nicer than mine’
‘Oh his looks are better than mine’
‘Oh how come he can afford such a nice car wth’
‘She’s ugly’ -she is actually stunning-
And the SELFIES. Instagram is the WORST. All my friends, constantly uploading exact replicas of their face at a particular angle with different coloured lipstick on.
‘Ugh look at my eyebags’
‘Feeling pretty today’
I just feel like society is all a ruse. Nothing is real. People are just projecting themselves out there, hungry for attention. If you look at those who don’t have as much as you do, you become thankful for what you do have. And you become more content, and less ravenous for those likes, for people to appreciate you, for more and higher and better and bigger.
The other day I was on the train and there was a man sitting a few rows ahead of me, blaring music out from his phone. Three people stood up and walked away from him, but he was oblivious. One man tutted loudly and glared at him as he walked past, and the offender waggled his eyebrows at him, and did a little shoulder shake. It made me laugh. I admit, I was a little annoyed with the music, I was tired and his music didn’t sit well in my ears. but I didn’t say anything. So, this guy was happy at 6am in the morning. Why kill a guy’s buzz? Let him be.
I don’t know why that situation depressed me so much.
The screen over the carriage door said, ‘This train is for Stanstead Airport, via Leicester.’
And I thought to myself, what if I didn’t get off at Leicester. What if I just skipped work altogether and went off to Stanstead Airport. Bought a ticket to Somewhere with whatever I had in my account, and escaped it all. But then I realised that wherever I go there will be humans, and humans just don’t make me happy.
They are just so self involved. I am so self involved. A lot of people are. Not all of them, of course. But so many people are.
I want to escape but I don’t know where I want to go.
Maybe I have SAD, now? It probably is that. Lack of vitamin D causes depression, apparently.
Maybe I need to be nicer to other people. Cynicism is not healthy.
So, what do you think? Are we all becoming narcissists? Is this ease of access making it simpler for narcissists to bud and grow, when before such ideas would be smacked right out of their silly little heads?
Narcissus
Ocean Bream 