Icarus, Scapegoats and Narcissism

My array of colored feathers never seemed to weigh me down. Although content in my presentation to the outside, my freedom of expression often gave way to predators, readily preying and awaiting their chance to defeather me of my light.

Much like the saying goes. “Birds of the same feather flock together” my life followed suit. For I rarely sat and contemplated on my identity or outward expression. I knew who I was and I understood how the world perceived me.

What I couldn't understand, was the inherent desire for others to watch me fall as Icarus did. Not necessarily rooted in seeing me suffer but rather, being the spectator and commentator of watching a glorious failure at an attempt to reach the sun.

As I grow and mature I've eventually learned this to be a form of ritual for the community of those lacking the commitment and the ineptitude of being able to successfully attempt to walk towards the idea of dancing their dream into a reality.

I've spent so many years dancing in my spotlight and I rarely took the time to realize that many others couldn't pick up their own feet. Not because they didn't want to, but rather because they lacked the desire to believe they could. Personally I've convinced myself that this state of mind can be attributed to fostering communities where a conglomerate of peoples join together where one of the single things binding them is their inability to achieve something they've set their mind out to.

In these communities of negative spaces, I've found that there is always a scapegoat. A person, place or thing whose blood must be spilled to uphold the identity of one person or a group of people. I'm certain to have found this in groups of friends, communities, churches and family dynamics.

a painting made available for purchase with the following link > https://www.borisjulie.com/product/icarus/

And the unfortunate part of a community that partakes in sacrificial scapegoat activities is that one goat will never be enough. For every scapegoat whose blood has been spilled, it is almost as if universally there will always be a line of new ones coming in. And maybe this dynamic plays into a narcissist's ability to constantly have a new prey to cast their burdens onto? If you're always focused on keeping an altar wet with bloodshed from your next scapegoat, how long is it before you forget what it's like to have a clean altar? How long is it before your god complex takes over and subjects you to forgetting that your own blood can be spilled too? How much longer are you going to keep running away from your accountability? How much longer before you forget that others can have dreams, seek them out and achieve them?... even if you couldn't simply because you wouldn't.

an image of a goat from the library of congress > https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.43658/

Stephan LaFortune 09/01/2025