David #354
A. From the story of Narcissus comes the narcissus complex or syndrome, in which arrogance destroys capacity for love.
B. The arrogance comes from physical beauty or attractiveness and awareness of it as one looks into the mirror. Arrogance comes from assuming superiority as a result of physical beauty. The only true beauty in life is the beauty of the soul.
C. Physical attractiveness without soul beauty is self-centeredness, egocentricity, and no capacity for love.
D. The interlocking systems of arrogance destroy all abilities, talents, and potentials for greatness.
E. The interlocking systems of arrogance also destroy all capacity for life, happiness, love, blessing, and success. It destroys the effectiveness of physical attractiveness, personality attractiveness, and any other kind of attractiveness.
F. While the narcissus complex is a preoccupation with oneself, one’s body, we are using the term in relationship with the soul as an extension of the study of interlocking systems of arrogance.
G. Absalom’s beauty was greatly admired. Flattery led to mental arrogance, so that he became vulnerable to almost all the categories of arrogance.
H. Absalom assumed erroneously that physical beauty was virtue. Virtue is beautiful, but beauty is not virtue.
I. The invention of the mirror was probably one of the greatest inventions of all time. It is both helpful and a hindrance. In either case, it all depends on your own volition. Let’s not blame the mirror for arrogance. The invention of the mirror has led many a person to fall in love with himself and to set up a whole scale of values related to himself in which beauty becomes virtue. Beauty and arrogance are not found in the equation integrity plus loyalty equals honor.
J. The woman can be so attracted to her own beauty, that she becomes involved in arrogance.
K. Humility plus beauty is virtue. But arrogance plus beauty is evil. The difference in what you really are is the difference between arrogance and humility. Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5, “God makes war against the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble.” The most beautiful people in the world are always those who have humility of soul. No matter how attractive you are physically, arrogance of the soul neutralizes that beauty. Interlocking systems of arrogance neutralizes every talent, every genius, every potential for leadership, every capability that you could ever possess.
L. Humility plus beauty equals objectivity, while arrogance plus beauty equals subjectivity. This is an arrogant subjectivity which has no capacity for love for others, only love for self.
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© 1989, by R. B. Thieme, Jr. All rights reserved.
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