“Freud used the term [narcissist] to describe persons who were self-absorbed, and psychoanalysts have focused on the narcissist’s need to bolster his or her self-esteem through grandiose fantasy, exaggerated ambition, exhibitionism, and feelings of entitlement.”
Donald W. Black
“A narcissist paints a picture of themselves as being the victim or innocent in all aspects. They will be offended by the truth. But what is done in the dark will come to light. Time has a way of showing people’s true colors.”
Karla Grimes
“Imagining that you are deep and complex, but others are simple, is one of the primary signs of malignant selfishness.”
Stefan Molyneux
"Do you not know that to whom you give yourselves as servants, his servants you become, whether of a corruption unto death, or of a righteousness unto life?"
Romans 6:16
"I was being called to surrender the very citadel of my self. I was completely in the dark. I did not really know what repentance was or what I was required to repent of. It was indeed the turning point of my life. God had brought me to my knees and made me acknowledge my own nothingness, and out of that knowledge I had been reborn. I was no longer the centre of my life and therefore I could see God in everything."
Bede Griffiths
"I see dead people. Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know that they're dead."
Cole Sear: The Sixth Sense
Stocks were in rally risk-on mode today, and made a heroic attempt to climb above resistance and stay there.
But alas, again it was just not to be.
Gold and silver showed weakness on the strong dollar, and in deference to the traditional hit they receive with the Non-Farm Payrolls report, which is this Friday.
Tonight is Halloween, so I must go look for the candy I bought, and then hid from myself so I would not be tempted to dip into it.
Speaking of wearing costumes, we have all seen or at least heard of examples of the 'macho tough guy' culture that certain elements of the financial and political class likes to portray for themselves.
Interacting with some of them is like dealing with hollow men, walking around trying to convince themselves that they are winning, and spectacularly so. Everything that they do in their private moments seems false, and exaggerated, a caricature or poor imitation of life. Superficially charming, even glamorous. But inside, hollow and full of corruption.
Their personal lives are generally facades thinly pasted over train wrecks. They are unable to love or to be loved. They just keep shoving people and things into the emptiness of their souls, in the hopes of achieving some semblance of being by consuming.
If we could see their true selves, see into their souls, we might well run away screaming. And so would they. So maintaining the illusion becomes the primary thing.
Their flamboyant excesses are really silent cries of psychic pain, from frightened creatures who have never successfully made the transition to adult human beings.
More to be pitied than scorned. But who is the greater fool than we, the general public, who keep falling for their fantastic lies and false promises, allowing them positions of power from which to wreak havoc on the rest of us? What kind of co-dependency of this?
What an odd world it is, and how strange the creatures in it.
Happy Halloween.
Remember to pray for all the departed, those who are struggling in poverty, and especially for all those who are spiritually dead and dying, that they may even yet find and choose life.
Have a pleasant evening.
