Tuesday, June 30, 2020

The Final Solution: Narcissistic Grandiosity

Superman (DC Comics)
Superman is not just a legend or a philosophical concept out of Nietzsche. The Uberbensch is an ideal that many people hone to with tenacity. The tightrope walking of the Wallendas and the free soloing of El Capitan are examples of abilities that create awe in spectators. Houdini could be chained within a submerged box and free himself. And there are Gary Kasparov and Steven Hawking who possess superhuman mental and mnemonic skills. A Mersenne prime has been tallied with almost 13 million digits. Who has the largest photographic memory? Superheroes in movies reflect the Walter Mitty-like romance with power. Those who don’t possess great skills may also possess a narcissistic grandiosity or megalomania that make them feel impervious to the vulnerabilities that their more vulnerable confreres suffer. However there's literally no amount of mental fortitude, physical strength or non-quitting spirit that will defeat COVID-19. Remission within a population may be achieved by recusal on a mass scale, but that involves confinement and it brings to mind the old boxing expression, “you can run but you can’t hide.” Neither physical, nor psychological fortitude are potent enough to subdue a virus like COVID-19. It would be nice to think that admitting defeat, such as alcoholics do when they admit powerlessness, would make some sort of difference. Yet failing to fight back in some way is also likely to hasten its spread.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.