The “Soundtrack of Your Life” Delusion

Try spending the day listening to an iPod as you go about your business. How much more important it all seems. Put your hands in your pockets and start walking down the street. It’s you, oh fearless warrior, and your battle against the world.

Welcome to the narrative fallacy.

God forbid you should ever have one with you when you’re running and it begins to rain. If you don’t have a shirt on, it’s over. Out of the corner of your eye, you’ll swear that trees are bowing as you pass.

Welcome to the “movie about your life.”

10 Responses to “The “Soundtrack of Your Life” Delusion”

  1. Graham February 15, 2009 at 8:39 am #

    http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeysphere.html

    This link is to an excellent and funny article about this subject.

  2. Vincent February 15, 2009 at 5:27 pm #

    Hey that’s really interesting, thanks for that nice post.

  3. Donika February 17, 2009 at 11:10 am #

    Could we be giving TLP anymore love? And yet… I love him, and that entry. The iPod example is quite apt.

  4. Ryan Holiday February 17, 2009 at 6:43 pm #

    The funny thing is I don’t like him or his writing very much. That post on the other hand, is fantastic.

  5. Stephen February 18, 2009 at 3:13 pm #

    A functional narcissist can actually have a compelling personality and good relationships. The people I like most seem to have a definite narcissistic streak.

    Granted, most people we call narcissists “aren’t doing it right.” But I still think people today respond better to a little narcissistic audacity than they do to someone whose opinions blow in the wind. Rubber must hit the road and oftentimes it’s a narcissist behind the wheel.

    I just think healthy narcissism should be differentiated from total self-absorption.

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