Mistook The Meaning Of The Greek Myth Of Narcissus

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For years I mistook the meaning of the Narcissus myth thinking it centered on love of self. Here, a much more dimensional and, to me, a vastly more interesting and accurate explanation is presented and reapplied to a more modern time. According to McLuhan, Narcissus’ plight arises not because he falls in love with himself, but because he is unable to recognize his image as belonging to him. “The Greek myth of Narcissus is directly concerned with a fact of human experience, as the word Narcissus indicates. It is from the Greek word narcosis or numbness. “The youth Narcissus mistook his own reflection in the water for another person. This extension of himself by mirror numbed his perceptions until he became the servomechanism of his own extended

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