Surviving the narcissists. Both without and within...

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We may seek approval

But find only rejection

Chase fame

But find only anonymity

Pursue wealth

But know only poverty

Grasp at victory

But know only defeat

Aspire to love

But know only loneliness

When we look outward for validation and acceptance

We will be disappointed

For we do not control what others think of us

Nor what rewards they may choose to give or withhold

The world is filled with capriciousness and apathy

And increasingly with egotistical narcissism

Where people seek to fulfill their own desires

Without regard to the needs of others

Should we despair?

Should we surrender?

Should we join the narcissists and descend into self-flattery and conceit?

No

We may only find peace and happiness within ourselves

Not in the words and actions of others

But it is also true that, believing in our own inherent worth and beauty

We are empowered

Not to merely bask in our own internal glow

But to share a measure of that attainment with others

To give approval

Grant fame

Achieve victory

Share love

And in so doing

Expose the fatal flaw of the narcissists

Who, believing themselves the better of all

Isolate themselves to the one

Such exposure given not as a punishment

(The narcissists, being so isolated and alone, being deserving of our pity)

But rather as an affirmation that

Recognizing our own worth

And sharing it with others

Is the only true measure

Of warming

And surviving

What would otherwise be a cold, meaningless world

By Mike Turner

From: United States

Website: http://www.MikeTurnerSongwriter.com

Twitter: @SchoonerSkipper

Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/MikeTurnerSongwriter