problems and pain are somehow special and unique in the world, despite all
evidence to the contrary. Human beings require this level of built-in
narcissism because narcissism is our last line of defense against the
Uncomfortable Truth. Because, let’s be real: People suck, and life is
exceedingly difficult and unpredictable. Most of us are winging it as we go, if
not completely lost. And if we didn’t have some false belief in our own
superiority (or inferiority), a deluded belief that we’re extraordinary at
something, we’d line up to swan-dive off the nearest bridge. Without a little
bit of that narcissistic delusion, without that perpetual lie we tell ourselves
about our specialness, we’d likely give up hope.
But our inherent narcissism comes at a cost. Whether you believe you’re
the best in the world or the worst in the world, one thing is also true: you are
separate from the world.
And it’s this separateness that ultimately perpetuates unnecessary
suffering.^28