The power of good journalism, social media and narcissism.

Posted on December 20th, 2010 by Robbin and currently 3 commenting.

I saw an old copy of Fast Company lying around the office as I sat down to eat a cup of chili for lunch the other day. (Man, it’s cold in South Carolina.)

And I read this article about Alex from Danielle Sacks. (I’ll just use his first name, something tells me we’d get on swimmingly like that.) As I ate and read, I was reminded that opposing views are a really good thing. I want to try and remember that more with my own writing. For that matter, in everything I explore and think about.

There are many sides to every story, especially an emotionally charged one.

Anyway, I’m reading along and I am 100% buying into Alex’s new mission to find himself.

Everyone needs a soul.

And then there’s this:

FEAR. LESS.

That’s the name on the door of his new office.

I love that. I get that.

Nothing remarkable ever, EVER happens when FEAR is in the room.

Okay. So I begin thinking Boulder is calling me. Our desire to do good work in the world is one of the key drivers here at Brains on Fire. I love waking up in the morning and using my time and talent to create meaningful change in the world.

I believe with all my heart and soul that there is a huge value shift in the world. And we are at the tip of the iceberg with this culture shift as companies realize that if they are going to connect with customers and employees they will have to understand who they are, what they stand for. And they will have to put it out there for the whole world to see.

Enter Social Media.

When I googled the Fast Company story to share with you, I found this: Alex’s corrections and comments to the article. Don’t you love it? Having been misquoted a time or two myself, I think this is brilliant on his part.

And he really thinks the title of the article is BS.

I wouldn’t want anyone to infer I was soulless myself. So I get that.

Again. So many sides to a story. A good lesson in communication don’t you think.

Will narcissism save the world?

As I finished up my lunch, I read and re-read this statement from Alex.

“A really excellent narcissist would be a really powerful tool for saving the planet. If everyone was a perfect narcissist, there would be nothing to worry about because we’d automatically fix everything and our purchases would be so benign. It’s not self-absorbed, it’s just knowing what’s good for self. Let’s say that steaks, scotch, and lots of cigars are what you put in your body—that’s a rookie-narcissistic move. That’s where we’re uneducated narcissists. But as we perfect our narcissism, it comes around where you’re actually doing things that feel like sharing, that feel like connected behavior.”

Alex goes on to say: “I told my friend this theory, and he said, ‘You may be the most narcissistic person I know. It used to piss me off, and now I’ve come to be okay with it.’ ”

Hmmmm.

So let’s keep the social part of this article going and focus on that thought. What do you think about Alex’s final remarks? Read them a couple of times. As we become more self-centered and I personally think in some ways we are, could the world become a better place?

Is a really excellent narcissist a powerful tool for saving the planet?

I have an opinion, but I will share that later. You go.

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