GLIMPSE
Listen to the Echoes
Fr. Larry Gillick, S.J.
Of all things, the duck’s “quack-quack” is, for some reason, the only sound that
doesn’t echo. We have all probably listened to children listening to their own
voices bouncing back to their delight. Doing this persistently would make parents
wish their children were ducks at times. Echoes have different meanings. They
can be sounds, memories, traditions as well as stories. Echo has her own history.
The very sad story or myth about the wood-nymph Echo plays quite a part in our
present-day culture. She was lovely and a lover of loving and being loved. One day
she caught sight of a handsome male figure upon whom she threw herself.
Accustomed to being loved in response, she was devastated by the cold-shoulder
she received. She apparently cried and carried on so that the gods took away her
body and her ability to speak except to say back whatever was said to her. Maybe
she never heard of a duck’s quack. There are several variations of this myth, but
always the same result.
Ah you say, but what about the dandy who rejected her? His name is Narcissus.
His problem was not just with Echo, but he was convinced that nobody could ever
love him as he deserved and desired. One day, he had worked up quite a sweat
warding off various nymphs and spirits so he bent down to a near-by pool for a
drink. As he drew near to the water he could see a face looking up at him which
was so lovely and inviting he reached down to grasp it and the reflection was
shattered momentarily. He was shocked that he could not possess the loving
beauty he demanded. Soon the waters calmed and he reached in once more with
the same results. He deserved, was entitled to, the possession of the only love
which was worthy of him.
So the story goes on and on as Narcissus lay withering away with unreachable love.
The story is that he eventually died of trying to love himself and being loved by
himself and in time a flower grew up bearing his name. Not only does Echo linger in
our human experiences, but we have met the echo of Narcissus ourselves. I heard
recently that the reason the taking pictures of one’s self is known as “Selfies” is
that they did not know how to spell Narcissism. This human fascination with the
self has various characteristics.
