Narcissus

I've been reading A Circle Of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle, and in it she talks a bit about the concept of "self-image."

What is a self-image? Who started talking about one? I rather fancy it was Madison Avenue. Picture Satan in a business suit, with well-groomed horns and a superbly switching tail, sitting at his huge executive's desk, thinking, "Aha! If I can substitute images for reality I can get a lot more people under my domination!"

The point is that it's not our images of ourselves, not what we imagine or desire or project, but our actual selves that are important and valuable. It is the essence of me-dom that makes me who I am, and if I can embrace my true self, instead of false ideas or desires, I'll be a lot better off in very many ways. (It's always the most truly "individual" people who are the most interesting, don't you think?)
December 3, 2006 3:36 PM