The Convenience of Narcissism

Chapter Eighteen- Good Health to You

When you were young, you may have felt full of vitality. You could eat whatever you wanted. You may have especially felt excitement when in the presence of something sweet. If you gorged yourself on such sweets you found out all to soon that such overindulgences came with severe consequences. At the very least a terrible belly ache. At the same time, your parents or guardians quickly discovered the hyperactive consequences of allowing you to partake of the tree of refined sugars. This state of confection no doubt overwhelmed your senses as you experienced the absolute bliss of a sugar high wonderland.

As we grow older, we may long for the days of unbridled consumption of sweets and treats, and various meats. Then as we reach our 30's and 40's we discover decades of poor diet habits have left us struggling with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a high probability of heart disease and diabetes. Our weight may have been creeping up on us for decades. Perhaps a slow metabolism or other factors put the brakes on your consumption habits even while you were still young. We may have fallen into a cycle of eating because we were sad, followed by being sad because of what we ate. Years of these patterns have left us wondering if there was any way out of this narcissistic lifestyle. What a horrible thing to say! How could I bring up narcissism at such a sensitive time like this? Well, I realize this may be hard to hear but our inner NARC has been feeding for years and we are the ones left with the bill.

It doesn't matter whether the stimuli is sugar, alcohol, or drugs, our inner NARC can feed off the effects either way. It is extremely important that you hear what I am about to say. Your inner NARC doesn't get drunk. It doesn't get high. It doesn't experience pain. It doesn't get sick. It just leaves you to recover. Stop letting it drive! When you were young your parents no doubt put limits on your intake. If they did not it may have made it more convenient for you to expand to more potent stimuli to get your fix. No one ever experiences the effects of overindulgence resulting in a diminished form of narcissism. Quite the opposite is true. The more we give into our inner greed for pleasure, the more our NARC becomes our primary operating system. Sadly, it often takes the threat of death due to poor health to snap us out of these self-destructive patterns. Still others never learn.

Starting in the second half of the nineteenth century some inspirational pioneers were beginning to explore ways to improve health through improved nutrition and exercise. One in particular stands out because of his research in the area of health. His name was Mr. John Harvey Kellogg. He had a strong religious background. He believed the Bible held the key to good nutrition. Through his research he hoped to create the perfect food that would care for all our nutritional needs. He eventually stumbled upon a sort of toasted wheat flake that would become a forerunner of our modern breakfast cereals.

There were others like Kellogg who sought to make the world a better place through vitamin rich dietary health aides. These patterns would find their way through the twentieth century down into our time. Some like Kellogg would explore the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle. Still others would invent new ways to improve health through cardiovascular exercise techniques. As the studies continued it would even be discovered that various blood types would play a role in determining the right diet for people with different blood types.

All this research would eventually result in a modern culture, that while trying to be better, was also falling into a dangerous trap. You see, our inner NARC is highly adaptable, so the drive toward health perfection is also very good at feeding our vanity. This would lead to new ways of leaning towards the other end of the spectrum. Bigger muscles needed enhancers like steroids. Competitive sports would lead to stronger forms of pain killers to keep injuries hidden long enough to win the game, while simultaneously leaving the athlete with permanent physical damage.

Step by step the noble efforts of these early pioneers were being eroded by a self-centered drive toward an unrealistic ideal that would create low self-esteem in the poor unfortunate souls that couldn't get their bodies to align with the models depicted in an endless tsunami of beauty magazines. Plastic surgery, liposuction, Botox-injections, and new types of beauty aids were often produced through animal mutilation. The earth would now offer up its delicate eco-systems in search of the perfect cosmetics. Whatever it takes to achieve visual perfection.

With human population exploding by the end of the twentieth century and human consumption increasing at an alarming rate, the global food supply has become virtually unable to meet the demands that unfettered narcissism is having on every ecosystem on our planet. Many animals are being raised and slaughtered in "Matrix" style mass extermination camps. In reality humanity has become like the A.I.s and the animal kingdom have become the horrifying victims of our unquenchable hunger for meat. Rainforests are falling at an alarming rate to make room for more cattle slaughtering landscapes. Earth's oceans will soon be depleted of life and yet filled with nonbiodegradable garbage. Global temperatures have been rising for over a century. If something is not done to halt this trend, poor interpersonal relationships will be the least of our problems.

Narcissism is not just an internal problem, or everyone else's problem. It is a global problem. If we continue to ignore the narcissistic greed that has engulfed our planet we will soon witness the end of life as we know it.

Many in recent decades have tried to find new ways to break free from these patterns but the irony is these same green minded recycle conscious activists must come to terms with the truths that this book has exposed if they have any hope of finding answers in this troubled world climate. They must come to realize that change must start from within each one of us. We must accept that personal convenience must be abandoned for there to be any lasting change. As you turn the page take a deep breath and pray for the strength to make a change.