The story of Echo and
Narcissus is a classic of Greek mythology. Echo was a nymph in ancient times.
She was a saucy nymph; she could never hold her tongue and even insulted the
highest gods and goddesses. To punish Echo for her impertinent behavior, the
queen of the Gods, Hera, cursed the nymph. From that point on she could only
repeat the words of others, once spoken.
Thus encumbered, Echo fell in
love with the son of a nymph named Narcissus. However, he had eyes for no
creature but himself, and rebuffed Echo. Defeated, she receded into the hills
and began to wander the “lonely caverns.” She eventually withered away, and all
that remained of the nymph was her voice and her bones. The latter turned to
stone, while the former could still be heard throughout the hills
…the hills
…the hills.
Narcissus, meanwhile,
continued to reject the advances of all manner of nymphs and maidens.
Eventually he stumbled upon an unsullied pond of crystal clear water in the
hills. He saw his own reflection and fell rapturously in love… with himself. So
intoxicated was he by his own image that he never left the water’s edge,
withered and died.
Atsma, Aaron. “Narcissus and
Echo, the House of Cadmus.” Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
11 Nov. 2014. Web. http://www.theoi.com/Text/OvidMetamorphoses3.html#5
John F. Kennedy is one of my
personal heroes. He was a man who already had everything, born into one of the
most affluent families in the United States. Despite this luxury, he devoted
himself to national service, first in World War II and subsequently in elected
office. As president, he made it his mission to fight for the oppressed people
of the world, and he made no distinction between those who suffered under the
yoke of communism and those who were beaten down by racial prejudice in the
Deep South. Clearly, Kennedy understood the meaning of altruism—that American
citizens must be imbued with a sense of civic duty to our fellow man.
A narcissist I abhor: Kim Kardashian. No explanation necessary.
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