Taking yourself seriously, laughing at yourself, and the importance of what others think of you
For years it has been fashionable to boast about not taking oneself seriously and to advise others to do the same. Yet, when it comes down to it, these supposedly carefree philosophers lose sleep over a measly follow-back on Twitter as though they were signing a mortgage.
I wonder what people mean by seriousness and self-importance. Unless the meaning of the word has changed dramatically, one could hardly even get out of bed without attaching some importance to oneself.
There is a lack of honesty — or simply of precision — in the way people think, speak and act.
I attach a great deal of importance to myself, and I dislike laughing at myself (or at anything important).
In the end, I do laugh at myself in public — but only because the absurdity of the situation, and its often merciless comedy, cannot be concealed or undone.
As for the importance of what other people think of you, I once had a heated argument with my sister in Menorca. She maintained that what other people think of you is of no importance. I argued the opposite. I pointed out that if a shopkeeper believed you to be a thief, he would not let you in. She replied that the example was misleading and that was the end of the argument.
(See: Ego versus egoism; miserly and ignoble propensities; and megalomania)