The Aroma of Self-love: A Comparative Study of Western and Eastern Views

The two sides of a coin are life and love. However, love does not always take the same form. It can take on various forms and colours, and as a result, sometimes it smells beautiful like flowers and other times it takes on destructive qualities. One can channel both self-love and narcissism. This essay aims to compare and contrast the perspectives of two civilizations with respect to their conceptions of narcissism. The colour of self-love is expressed differently in both cultures. While in eastern ideas it is the meaning of life, hope, and ways to let go of pent-up emotions, in western concepts it is seen as the means of the self-rearing process. The ideas of Jung and Rabindranath Tagore about narcissism and spiritual existence are taken into consideration in order to comprehend the various vibrations of narcissism in other civilizations. Investigating the past and delving into Jung's theories, one finds that narcissism is the fundamental energetic function of self-presentation or the secret to the formation of a stable self, in his view. According to Tagore, the knowledge that one's spiritual being originates from one's existence in this world. Giving of oneself to others genuinely aids in figuring out the route to one's own happiness.