“Stay Away If You Value What’s Left” — And the Lie Hidden in the Illusion
The letter came in silence.
No return address. No signature. Just one sentence in jagged black ink:
“Stay away if you value what’s left.”
I wanted to laugh—convince myself it was a joke. A mistake. A prank by someone with a bad sense of humor. But then the locks on my doors started clicking open in the middle of the night.
Whispers trailed behind me in empty hallways. My texts and calls? Unanswered. People I trusted suddenly… didn’t answer back.
Something was unraveling around me, and I had no idea where the thread began—or who was pulling it.
Around that time, I stumbled across a popular meme online. An image of concentric circles, asking:
“Do you see one large circle or several smaller ones? Your answer may reveal narcissistic tendencies.”
It seemed harmless. Silly, even. But I was already spiraling. Already questioning reality. So I stared at it—too long. Wondering what it meant that I could see both. Wondering if the chaos creeping into my life wasn’t entirely external.
But here’s the truth—one grounded in science, not fear:
It means nothing.
Despite what memes might suggest, how you interpret an optical illusion has no bearing on your personality, let alone complex traits like narcissism. The way you perceive concentric circles depends on simple, mundane factors—like where your eyes focus, the screen size, lighting, or how tired you are.
The connection to narcissism? Pure fiction.
So What Is Narcissism?
In psychology, narcissism isn’t about vanity or mirror selfies. Clinical narcissism, or Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), is a rare and serious condition marked by a deep need for admiration, a fragile sense of self, and an inability to empathize with others.
It’s not something that can be diagnosed by a meme—or spotted through a shape on a screen.
Why Do We Fall for It?
These viral claims feed on our need for self-understanding. They’re fast, emotionally charged, and dressed up as insight. They exploit confirmation bias and the Barnum Effect—our tendency to believe vague, flattering statements apply uniquely to us.
But real psychology isn’t that simple. It’s not clickable or aesthetic. And it doesn’t whisper secrets through illusions.
The Danger of Oversimplification
While these illusions seem harmless, they flatten complex mental health issues into stereotypes. They blur the lines between personality quirks and actual disorders, reinforcing stigma rather than promoting understanding.
It’s the same kind of distortion I’d fallen into—seeing meaning where there was only noise. Blaming the circle instead of asking who drew it.
In the End
The letter wasn’t from a stranger, but from someone I once trusted. Their message wasn’t magic. It was manipulation.
And the circles? Just shapes on a screen. No insight. No prophecy. Just a reminder:
Not everything that feels deep is true. And not everything that’s real shouts.
Sometimes the most important things—like truth, like mental health—speak quietly. You just have to know where to listen.