We are living through a pandemic of covert narcissism, and it’s not being talked about enough. There needs to be greater public awareness about the dangers of being controlled by erratic emotions and how easily the media can manipulate fear and anger to fuel irrational biases.
For a long time, I was part of the problem. I didn’t realize h…
We are living through a pandemic of covert narcissism, and it’s not being talked about enough. There needs to be greater public awareness about the dangers of being controlled by erratic emotions and how easily the media can manipulate fear and anger to fuel irrational biases.
For a long time, I was part of the problem. I didn’t realize how much my ego was controlling me until I had an epiphany that forced me to confront it. Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to keep my ego in check and to act with greater self-awareness.
The truth is, we tend to think ego problems belong to other people—celebrities, politicians, or extreme personalities—not regular, seemingly good-hearted individuals. But it’s often those who appear to embody kindness and compassion who are most vulnerable to manipulation and radicalization. Recognizing this hidden vulnerability in ourselves and others is the first step toward breaking free from it.
You nailed it!! I couldn't say it better. The killer is how easily these personal, ego problems are disguised as political or societal concerns. Social media and legacy media really add fuel to the fire because they give us unlimited, highly enticing avenues to externalize these internal problems and never recognize what's going on.
What do you think needs to happen to start recognizing this problem? It seems so tied up with all the goings-on in the world that it's hard to get people to step away from the news cycle or whatever their mode of externalization is to take stock of themselves.
I don’t have a simple answer for you. Once someone is trapped by their ego, breaking free is incredibly difficult—like a butterfly caught in a glass jar. This is why rehabilitating certain types of criminals is nearly impossible. I wrote about my own experience of dismantling my ego by cutting off all external validation. The pain was so overwhelming that I needed divine intervention to survive it.
Most people won’t take this path because they believe safety and comfort will save them. But true grounding—the kind that shapes you into a good person—comes through self sacrifice. I write about this often.
My entire Substack, Weird Logic, is about killing the ego. The ego is threatened by logic, and progressives have come to see logic as white supremacy. As a result, they rely on emotions for reasoning, reinforcing their ego through performative virtue that feeds their need for validation. Truly humbled people don’t need to do any of this.
Perhaps the most effective way to shift the culture is to lead by example. Disarm others with grace when they’re wrong, and inspire them by embodying what it means to live with truth and integrity—it’s the most rewarding action you can do to stop the cycle of abuse.
We are living through a pandemic of covert narcissism, and it’s not being talked about enough. There needs to be greater public awareness about the dangers of being controlled by erratic emotions and how easily the media can manipulate fear and anger to fuel irrational biases.
For a long time, I was part of the problem. I didn’t realize how much my ego was controlling me until I had an epiphany that forced me to confront it. Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to keep my ego in check and to act with greater self-awareness.
The truth is, we tend to think ego problems belong to other people—celebrities, politicians, or extreme personalities—not regular, seemingly good-hearted individuals. But it’s often those who appear to embody kindness and compassion who are most vulnerable to manipulation and radicalization. Recognizing this hidden vulnerability in ourselves and others is the first step toward breaking free from it.
You nailed it!! I couldn't say it better. The killer is how easily these personal, ego problems are disguised as political or societal concerns. Social media and legacy media really add fuel to the fire because they give us unlimited, highly enticing avenues to externalize these internal problems and never recognize what's going on.
What do you think needs to happen to start recognizing this problem? It seems so tied up with all the goings-on in the world that it's hard to get people to step away from the news cycle or whatever their mode of externalization is to take stock of themselves.
I thought more about the direction. I hope this inspires you.
https://open.substack.com/pub/emmakearney/p/the-culture-wars-are-a-dumpster-firecan?r=9ocx5&utm_medium=ios
I don’t have a simple answer for you. Once someone is trapped by their ego, breaking free is incredibly difficult—like a butterfly caught in a glass jar. This is why rehabilitating certain types of criminals is nearly impossible. I wrote about my own experience of dismantling my ego by cutting off all external validation. The pain was so overwhelming that I needed divine intervention to survive it.
https://open.substack.com/pub/emmakearney/p/i-lived-like-thoreau-for-a-whole?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Most people won’t take this path because they believe safety and comfort will save them. But true grounding—the kind that shapes you into a good person—comes through self sacrifice. I write about this often.
My entire Substack, Weird Logic, is about killing the ego. The ego is threatened by logic, and progressives have come to see logic as white supremacy. As a result, they rely on emotions for reasoning, reinforcing their ego through performative virtue that feeds their need for validation. Truly humbled people don’t need to do any of this.
Perhaps the most effective way to shift the culture is to lead by example. Disarm others with grace when they’re wrong, and inspire them by embodying what it means to live with truth and integrity—it’s the most rewarding action you can do to stop the cycle of abuse.