This quotation from the same article I mentioned in my previous post got me thinking:
“I realize that I often respond to your remarks with stories about myself. Understand: I am not interested in myself. I am giving you case studies, stories about anyone.” — Paul Auster
It’s a quick retort at the end of a letter, but it’s still quite profound. Often, I feel self-conscious about overly referring to myself in conversation. This is due entirely to me noticing this same behavior in others (sometimes friends), who literally cannot perceive of any thought or action outside of themselves. I would equate referencing myself in response to displaying a lack of empathy.
It made me realize, people often list themself as a case study because each person is in fact just that: a case study. Life is a case study that we perform all day every day. Speaking about oneself does not necessitate selfishness– rather, it is a reference point of which we can never quite escape (aka the sociologist’s dilemma).
Crazy shit.