A friend of mine told me yesterday that he has his own religion: himself. He says that he is his number one priority, and he surrounds himself with people who feel the same about themselves. He doesn't expect anyone to love him so much that he overpowers their own needs.
In a culture that seems to be obsessed with self (youtube, myspace, itunes), the people who want change advocate selflessness. Many claim that the youth of today are too ego-centric, that they're arrogant and don't care about anyone. And yet doctors like Gerald L. Klerman are seeing an upward trend in young people with depression and low self-esteem. The symptoms are "less psychotic" but more common. Perhaps youtube isn't catering to an already inflated ego, but simply providing a shaky foundation for what little self-confidence that young people have. Perhaps consumer culture doesn't run on the greased gears of people assuming their entitlement but on the backs of those who are so stooped over from shame that they consume blindly because they are lost in a haze of self-hatred. Like Jack, when told he looked harmless, sped to the mall and bought everything in sight, are we simply trying to make up for the self-esteem and true substance that we lack?
My friend is a self-acknowledged narcissist. He also doesn't have much, and he doesn't seem driven by the consumer machine. He shows no sign of depression; he's one of the happiest people I know. He's just one example, but he's a positive one. Perhaps we should all convert to his religion.