Exploring the Deconstruction: Narcissia

While I was traversing the Deconstruction, I stumbled across Narcissia. I suppose I should have seen it coming, considering the Deconstruction’s purpose. Oh, if you aren’t familiar, the Deconstruction is a level of existence created by Bob for the scientific exploration of specific personality traits, quirks, behaviors, and so on. I, in my assignment as scribe, was given access to the Deconstruction, for clerical purposes of course.

Anyway…in effect, the Deconstruction consists of species of sentient emotional creatures who were given one specific personality trait, in effort to explore interpersonal relationships and how culture would evolve if everyone shared the same dominant trait. On Narcissia, guess which trait was in focus? Okay, okay, I’ll tell you. Nar…ci…(did you guess yet?)…ssism. Did you guess correctly?

Now, without going into great detail, I can tell you what I found was a culture filled with some of the most giving, loving people I have ever encountered. Some might find that odd, given the general perception of narcissists on our Earth. However, Narcissian culture was mostly populated with self-fulfilled people who were at peace with their lives and station. Indeed, their personal happiness then overflowed to those around them.

Granted, not all Narcissians were as cool as the next. Some could be prickly, lacked empathy, and preferred cats to dogs (ew, gross). Some were selfish, wanting more than they needed. Some were lazy, not trying hard enough to fulfill their wants and desires and therefore living dissatisfied. Sound familiar? I could go on, but I’m certain you smell the cake burning.

Despite the varying levels of personal happiness, Narcissians shared one other dominant characteristic, an offshoot of their genetic narcissism. Kindness. They were all kind. Swear to Bob. Even the miserable ones were kind, and even the selfish ones would share. It was crazy. I couldn’t understand why, until one day I heard an ancient Narcissian dirge and understood. The title of the song translates, "All Live and Die.”

The Narcissians had accepted their commonality. They understood their entire, planet-wide species was of one race, with more in common than not. This sense of commonality and each individual’s acceptance of their dominant character, what we might call a fault, had fostered a peaceful, loving culture. There were no tribes save one, everyone, and therefore no tribalism. Thus, even a culture dominated by what we consider a selfish, wildly egotistical desire to please oneself took better care of one another than we do. I suppose, at the end of the day, this begs the question: What fucked us up?