Marcus Paul's Blog
February 7, 2017
Escaping Our Narcissism
Starting a new blog makes one want to mark the occasion with saying something significant about the times we live in and the impact that reading and readers have on those around us and wider society.
It is widely agreed by social commentators that we live in the most narcissistic of ages. We, as readers, cannot entirely escape the pervasive influences around us, but surely intelligent reading of good books can provide something of an antidote. Here, by 'good books' I mean books which will take us out of ourselves and put ourselves in someone else's shoes, help us to see their viewpoint. We might be removed geographically or historically or emotionally or intellectually, but whatever happens, our universe will have been enlarged, our minds taken away from the obsessive concentration on self.
I'm currently writing about T E Lawrence, an extraordinary man, and seeing his viewpoint on the Arabs is enlightening. In my book, "The Evil That Men Do" (2016) I ask readers to ditch their twenty-first century filters and try to imagine the Crusades (and other periods) from the perspective of those who were there. It's not easy but it gives a more balanced view, I believe, of what happened in some of the worst periods of history. We need to remember too, that we in turn will be judged by our descendants. It might give us a touch of humility to flavour our narcissism.
It is widely agreed by social commentators that we live in the most narcissistic of ages. We, as readers, cannot entirely escape the pervasive influences around us, but surely intelligent reading of good books can provide something of an antidote. Here, by 'good books' I mean books which will take us out of ourselves and put ourselves in someone else's shoes, help us to see their viewpoint. We might be removed geographically or historically or emotionally or intellectually, but whatever happens, our universe will have been enlarged, our minds taken away from the obsessive concentration on self.
I'm currently writing about T E Lawrence, an extraordinary man, and seeing his viewpoint on the Arabs is enlightening. In my book, "The Evil That Men Do" (2016) I ask readers to ditch their twenty-first century filters and try to imagine the Crusades (and other periods) from the perspective of those who were there. It's not easy but it gives a more balanced view, I believe, of what happened in some of the worst periods of history. We need to remember too, that we in turn will be judged by our descendants. It might give us a touch of humility to flavour our narcissism.
