Narcissism

Narcissism is a state of extreme self-absorption, but really it's just another cloak for pride. The word traces back to a Greek myth of a young man who so fell in love with his appearance that he stared at his reflection in a pool of water, ignoring the affectionate glances of the lovely nymph, Echo. The myth inspired both Oscar Wilde and Herman Melville, whose Ishmael called it the key to it all. Narcissism is a pursuit of self-gratification through vanity, and the proliferation of selfies and the use of electronic devices as ready and expensive, if imperfect, mirrors, makes one wonder how many meaningful echoes we might be ignoring.