It's All About ME

How many of us have those special people in our lives that require great attention? These lovely people insist that the world's focus should be on them. Frequently, these special people can be observed whining because others do not understand their greatness, and, sometimes, this leads them into a state of rage. Yes, folks, I am talking about the narcissist.
A few facts, provided by Wikipedia, about our topic:

"'Narcissism' describes the trait of excessive self-love, based on self-image or ego.
The term is derived from the Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was a handsome Greek youth who rejected the desperate advances of the nymph Echo. As punishment, he was doomed to fall in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Unable to consummate his love, Narcissus pined away and changed into the flower that bears his name, the narcissus.
In psychology and psychiatry, excessive narcissism is recognized as a severe personality dysfunction or personality disorder, most characteristically Narcissistic personality disorder, also referred to as NPD.
Sigmund Freud believed that some narcissism is an essential part of all of us from birth and was the first to use the term in the reference to psychology.[1]
The terms "narcissism", "narcissistic" and "narcissist" are often used as pejoratives, denoting vanity, conceit, egotism or simple selfishness. Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others" .
Andrew Morrison claims that, in adults, a reasonable amount of healthy narcissism allows the individual's perception of his needs to be balanced in relation to others" (Wikipedia.com).

But, what is a healthy amount of narcissism? Surely, the amount that entails loving one's self is good. Yet, in my experience, many people exceed the healthy and appropriate amount of self love. Narcissists automatically expect others to see and feel the same amount of love and admiration that narcissists have for themselves. These unfortunate people delude themselves into believing their own greatness, even in the absence of accomplishments or success that would serve as proof for their claims.
Many of us have experienced a narcissistic co-worker or boss. They are the ones that spend a lot of energy belittling what others have done without them, as well as discrediting anyone to whom they feel might shine a little brighter than themselves. Sometimes, they are preoccupied with using whatever power that they have to subjugate others, thus, perpetuating their own self love. If one were to believe in 'evil,' these maniacal bullies would be in the dictionary as an example.
Yes, these special people are to be pitied. They spend much of their time selling their own greatness to themselves and everyone who can be forced to listen. And, then, when they can no longer make others listen or follow their self serving plans, some fly into a rage that is directed at all who remain closest to them, if, there is anyone still willing to take the abuse. Then comes the greatest evil, their propensity for exacting revenge on whomever they vilify. More than one good human being has been wrongly injured by this diabolical act of the narcissist.
It seems like a very lonely world, especially later in life, for the narcissist. Given the chance to reach old age, it seems that most people would, quite naturally, evaluate their life. What could the narcissist honestly say about themselves? I guess that they could claim that their preoccupation with themselves made a positive difference to the world. Yet, since they invested most of their energy into promoting themselves, all of this energy is lost once they die. It serves nothing. Nobody remembers the narcissist for anything more than her or his tendency to create animosity, pettiness, and abuse. Indeed, we can love ourselves too much.