Posted on 05/28/2015 5:08:50 AM PDT by Kaslin
Selfies, followers, likes and the fascination with celebrity anythings (chefs, decorators, stylists, authors, etc.) are just a few of the ways that today's society focuses attention on individuals. It's not enough to be a great chef -- it's better to be a celebrity chef. It's not enough to participate in an event -- it's better to snap a selfie of yourself at the event and then post it online for all to see.
This increasing focus on individuals can be seen to increase the potential for narcissism, which the online dictionary defines as "the inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity." Narcissists are focused on themselves and often cannot or simply choose not to empathize with others. Secure in their belief in their greatness, they tend to ignore others and others' needs. Theirs is a me, me, me world.
In this me, me, me world, there is little collective action or help for others.
A recent study published in "The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology" by Paul K. Piff, Pia Dietze, Matthew Feinberg, Daniel M. Stancato and Dacher Keltner, "Awe, the Small Self, and Prosocial Behavior," provides an antidote to our society's narcissistic focus.
Why is it important that we look beyond ourselves and help others? "Collaboration, cooperation, and coaction, requires a diminished emphasis on the self and its interests and a shift to attending to the larger entities one is a part of (e.g., small groups, social collectives, and humanity)," the authors report. "Enhanced prosocial tendencies -- inclinations to share, care, and assist -- further enable individuals to function more effectively within social collectives."
In other words, working together is beneficial.
If narcissistic behavior is predicated on an over-enhanced sense of self, then the question becomes, how does this focus shift from a large self to a small self? According to the study, "these effects will be driven by what we refer to as the 'small self' -- a relatively diminished sense of self (i.e., feeling one's being and goals to be less significant) vis-a-vis something deemed vaster than the individual," in other words, awe.
What the authors call awe, I think of as an understanding and recognition that there is something greater than myself, a reminder that, through God, we are all connected to one another; an understanding that the spark of divinity, the spark I see in others, is the same spark that resides in me. This connection of divinity within us all allows us to see both our uniqueness and our unimportance at the same time.
Growing up, I loved to sit outside on our porch during summer thunderstorms. Rather than being frightened, I looked on the lightning and thunder as God's voice saying, "I am vast; I am powerful, yet I am still here for you." It was a reminder to me that I was both small and a part of something vast, yet still important to God.
So what does an awe-filled experiment do to a person's behavior?
The research included an experiment to see if people act differently after an encounter with something bigger than themselves, literally. The students physically went into "a grove of Tasmanian eucalyptus trees with heights exceeding 200 feet; it is the tallest stand of hardwood trees in North America." Surrounded by towering trees, people do indeed act differently, the authors concluded.
"Awe arises in evanescent experiences. Looking up at the starry expanse of the night sky. Gazing out across the blue vastness of the ocean. Feeling amazed at the birth and development of a child. Protesting at a political rally or watching a favorite sports team live. Many of the experiences people cherish most are triggers of the emotion we focused on here -- awe. Our investigation indicates that awe, although often fleeting and hard to describe, serves a vital social function. By diminishing the emphasis on the individual self, awe may encourage people to forego strict self-interest to improve the welfare of others."
Maybe the takeaway here is to include moments of awe every day, not only for ourselves but also for those with whom we work, play and live. Not only will it remind us that we are just a small part of a larger, connected experience, but it will remind them, as well, and create a connection between our small selves and something larger.
In the face of a vast and ever-increasing anonymous human population, people become terribly insecure.
Any evidence at all that, “I exist. Here I am!” is welcome fodder for flagging egos.
indeed
Isaiah 3
Isaiah 3 King James Version (KJV)
1 For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water.
2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:
7 In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be an healer; for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.
16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21 The rings, and nose jewels,
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.
25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
> Any evidence at all that, “I exist. Here I am!” is welcome fodder for flagging egos.
I was at a restaurant the other day when this mother, her daughter and another woman walk in and the little girl who must’ve been around 10 was carrying one of those selfie sticks with her cell phone attached and kept taking pictures of herself from every angle over and over again. It was pretty annoying. What’s worse is the mother acted like nothing was wrong with it and it made me think how narcisstic the little brat is going to become later in the future because of her mother condoning this type of behavior. And you wonder why our children voted for people like Obama whose just like them...
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