We are all infected.
The Walking Dead is one of
the most popular TV-series in the world right now. It is a show about
survivors of a zombie apocalypse and their struggle to stay alive... at
least on the surface. However, underneath all the blood and gore is
actually a show about egos and the stress we feel when things in life
don’t go as planned (as usually is the case). One of the strongest
themes underlying the show is growth of egomaniacal characters in their
quest to “survive”.
The show brings up questions that draw a fine line between what it
takes to survive and what it means to go too far. The show is just a
fiction, but part of its appeal is that it reflects a lot of people’s
concerns and struggles with the question of “what is really necessary?”
and “what is egomaniacal?”
One of the main concepts of the show is “we are all infected”, which
we can translate roughly to: we are all one mistake or slip away from
becoming someone else’s nightmare. If we give up, quit, become a
burden, choose an easy path to “survival”, we become the problem for
the few left who haven’t.
Are we takers? Or do we walk the line?
Well, for those of you who don’t watch the show, don’t worry, I only
bring it up because the topic of this article is egomania, and the
famous line “we are all infected” is a good starting point for
discussing it.
The number one problem beginners and intermediate guys have with
seduction is that they believe they are immune to egomania and
don’t need to address it. You think you couldn’t possibly be a
bad guy and so never consider that it’s quite possible you are.
Beginners complain and whinge and cry about how THEY are special, about how THEY are
the exception to every rule, because they are overwhelmed and surprised
by the sheer aggressiveness of reality and how HARD it bitch slaps them
into taking responsibility onto their shoulders.
Guys will resort to anything to avoid real improvement:
- Ask a girl they only sort of like to marry them
- Abandon responsibilities as a decent dad and become a drunk
- Avoid women entirely and resort to a porn oasis to get by
Our mistakes often aren’t THAT drastic, normally it is a bit of
cynicism here, a few nasty edged decisions there, and an indulgence on
occasion that screws over someone you don’t know now and then.
You figure, “Hey? What is the harm?” and you get into the habit of
sucking, until one day a responsibility is too big, and BAM, you become
the bad guy you swore you never would be.
Egomania is a real thing and you START OFF infected.
