ontological narcissism: the conviction that one’s worldview, one’s meta-reality, is the best in the universe and shouldn’t be doubted or challenged
Why is there so much selfishness and conflict among humans? Why can’t we all just be nice and get along? The reason is surprisingly simple: too much individuality, me, not enough mutuality, us, in our aggregate worldview. The problem is of course inherent to human existence because we all exist as individuals, but is nonetheless a critical issue to solve if existing would be our preferred mutual fate.
The unique point of view on the world that each of us has, comes about because we each exist in a specific spacetime location. I’m “here”, you’re “there”, vice versa. I’m “me”, you’re “you”, et al. Having a local conscious perspective on reality is amazing for sure, yet any specific view is confined to said location and thus is necessarily a restricted view of the world. In our singular places in spacetime none of us ever occupy the same four-dimensional position, nor do we experience the same unique but limited outlook on life. We each have our own meta-reality. Yet the more we individually prioritize our spacetime locality and worldview, assuming it’s exclusive and superior to any other, the less we empathize with each other, and the more we compete over which view should rule others. A strong sense of spacetime individuality leads to ontological narcissism — and all the accompanying interpersonal and societal ills.
Yes you’re unique and special, but then so is everyone else.
Shared spacetime allows us to exist locally as one of a kind, and slightly less locally as all of a kind — all of it special. Is our kind special enough to merit mutual empathy, goodwill, and well-being? If yes, all we need to do as unique spacetime entities is be more ontologically unitive: value mutual, not just personal existence, and recognize that a mutualistic perspective on the world is necessary for affirmation, consensus, reciprocity, collective knowledge, a healthy personality, a free, just, and flourishing society — all the things we most desire, and that would prove our compatibility with the omnifarious and wholly inter-derivative reality to which we belong.