I’m not going to delve too deeply into Greek mythology with you here today, but I want you to think of the word “echo” and what it means to us right now by revisiting the story of Echo in old mythology. One of the things we know about Echo is that she got on the bad side of one of the goddesses, and which version of the story you read will determine who it was and why it happened. It’s pretty interesting, and you might find it worthwhile to look into it—some good reading for a Saturday afternoon.
Echo was cursed not to be able to speak in her own voice, and that’s an important point. ECHO WAS NOT ALLOWED HER OWN VOICE. This is crucial for us to remember as we think about what echoism is.
Not having her own voice, Echo later becomes enamored with Narcissus. As she tries to follow him around, she realizes that she cannot express her own thoughts to him because she lacks her own voice; she can only repeat what she hears from others.
When we talk about echoism, we’re referring to having a relationship with a strong-willed, narcissistic person. The narcissist is so dominant and in control that you are unable to use your own voice when communicating with them. One of the things narcissists don’t want is your voice. THE NARCISSIST DOES NOT WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE. They don’t really want to hear from you; they want to fill you with themselves. They want to fill your thoughts with their thoughts and your priorities with theirs. The longer you are exposed to these narcissistic, controlling, self-centered individuals, the more likely you are to lose your own sense of self, and you end up becoming a shell of who you truly need to be.
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