My Seven Deadly Selfs by Jason Barnett
The students were challenged to write a scene from their life (real or imagined, but uniquely personal) from the perspective of a “second self”—a ghost-like and dispassionate observer of the action.
JASON…channels the seven deadly sins into his seven deadly “selfs.”
My Seven Deadly Selfs
I have a chip on my shoulder, or maybe seven? They could be chips or they could be demons. I don’t know what they are, but whatever it is they are not good. I can’t get rid of them, they don’t cancel each other out, and I wouldn’t call them intrusive thoughts or whatever you may think. The only thing that I do know is that they are me.
This guy’s talking about me? I could really care less about what this guy thinks of me. I can’t be bothered to think about what I think of myself. I would rather just roll over and forget about all that nonsense. It’s too difficult to do anything and there isn’t any real purpose to it all. It doesn’t matter, I’ll just yawn go back to sleep now.
Oh, I wish I could have what they have. Everything I hear, everything I see is better than what I have and I hate it. I hate everyone who has it better than me, and who do they think they are doing what they want without a care in the world. They have a better personality, more loving people around them, more money, more popularity, more talent, everything about everybody is better than me. I hate everyone. I resent them all. I wish I could just crush it.
I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate it all. I wish everything would fall and die. I want to kill it all, I want everything to burn, I hate it so much. Everything incurs me and makes it worse. I don’t want anything to exist; I want everything to disappear.
I need to consume more, I want to eat. Give me some more, all I want to do is consume. I don’t care about anything else as long as I can indulge in more food. I don’t need anything, I don’t want anything, as long as I have myself and my food, I would even consume myself.
Oh, oH, OH, I need more pleasure, I crave for all experiences. If there’s a hole, there’s a goal… that’s what I live by because it all feels so good. Money, power, or fame gives me pleasure, and even pain. How good would it feel to amputate my leg right now, I couldn’t even imagine.
Everything is mine. I need it all, I want it all, I’ll do whatever it takes to have it all. I need money, I will kill for it, I could submit to anything as long as I can get money. Wait, I need power, I need to rule over the entire world, the universe should belong to me, I need it all. I’ll take what I want no matter who or what I’m taking it from. Every time someone has something that I don’t, it makes me rip out my skin and the desire grows stronger.
All of these other guys are so much lower than me that it’s funny. Nothing can compare to what I behold to these inferior beings. They can’t conceive of my extraordinary self, everything deserves to grovel beneath my feet. I surprise myself by how amazing I am. No one can tell me otherwise because I know they’re just jealous and wish they could be even one percent of what I am. I deserve it all, I know I do, and don’t try to deny my superiority.
I hear these voices but I can’t focus on one. They kinda piss me off because they’re all speaking to me at the same time, and they kinda seem dumb. They’re like a pack of babies all wanting different things, but I pay them no mind. I hate babies, anyway. It doesn’t really matter what they think because I am me, and even though they are also me I still keep myself together. I could drown in a gutter. All they care about is their own selfishness. I don’t need any of these other me’s to tell me what they want. I’m content with what I already have.
Jason Barnett
March 20, 2026