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Dedicated to Consideration

(Picture: DS: Consideration and Recklessness Tied Together)

Consideration

(15.8./2.9.2023) I have once done the painting of a narcissist (below left). That was years ago, and today I have done the drawing of a considerate person and a reckless person tied together (above). So I guess that the subject of consideration (not that of narcissism) must be of some relevance to me.

(Picture: DS: The Narcissist)

(Picture: DS: Ellbow Society)

Actually there are few things that I dislike more than reckless behaviour. And I wonder why there is no article on the civic virtue of consideration on Wikipedia. Why is this of no relevance? Why is there an article on consideration as a very specific legal concept, but no article on the civic virtue of consideration? Consideration has to be the counterpart of tolerance. Tolerance does only thrive if it is met by consideration. This is true in society, as it is true in any social context in society. (And mindfulness is not the same thing, and often to be associated rather with an egotistical position; more on that later).

The narcissist in my painting does look like a Roman senator to me. And I do understand the meaning of the third figure in the background now (the second person being the senator marginalized on the left): the meaning of the third figure is to be the third party that has to intervene sometimes if a reckless person is bothering another person, perhaps a more cosiderate person. The third party is the symbol of the rule of civic virtue. But civic virtue does not seem to rule today, at least not on the internet, and perhaps there is some logic inherent to that: the logic that it is necessary to know people, to know of their wishes and sensitivities, and to know means here also: to respect them and to spare them what would be imposition to them.

But there are examples of considerate behaviour in places where one would not expect to find them: a Swiss journalist, for example, while writing a book on narcissism, was astonished to find out that most people around him considered him to be the biggest narcissist of all (perhaps everyone had been so considerate not to tell him). But there was room for insight, perhaps even for correction. And an art journalist, perhaps known as one of the biggest narcissists in the art world, showed very considerate behaviour towards his wife, while being recorded in the art gallery of Vienna for a panel discussion.

So be it – big fish narcissist and considerate person fish remain tied together forever, as in my drawing. From Roman times to modern day narcissism. And this, in brief, is my brief cultural history of consideration (and not of narcissism).

MICROSTORY OF ART
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