The greatest threat we face

What is the greatest threat we face?

Maybe you want to narrow that down a bit. Although how could something be the greatest threat we face if it didn’t encompass everything?

What is the greatest threat our world faces? How about our nation? Our communities? Our churches? Our relationships? Ourselves?

I think there are many possible answers for these questions. Maybe your answer ecological catastrophe. Maybe it’s poverty, or racism, or ideologies, or partisanship, or money, or greed, or nuclear war, or war in general. Or who knows what else could easily fit in as an answer.

My own personal opinion is that the greatest threat this planet faces — regardless of what level we are talking about — is narcissism. Narcissism is defined as excessive interest in oneself. I think that is putting it mildly and misses the mark. Psychology Today has a pretty good list of the traits of narcissism that you can read here. Here’s the summation of nine traits officially recognized at part of Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

• Grandiose sense of self-importance.
• Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
• Belief that he or she is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people or institutions.
• Need for excessive admiration.
• Sense of entitlement.