This is eloquent and thought provoking so thanks for that. Yet Jung strikes me as a bluffer who uses hyperbole and insinuates that he has an impossible insight into the unknowable. The million zeroes are of course not zeroes at all. I prefer the cosmic vision of Einstein’s 1948 essay “Why We Need Socialism.” He begins with the condition of the human soul: we are more dependent than ever on our social interdependence and yet we perceive it as a degrading threat. To make a long story short, Einstein argues, like Tolstoy, that life is only meaningful when we live for others. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I read him as psychologically and politically opposed to the direction in which Jung would push us.
What an equally thought-provoking comment. I'm so grateful for this invitation to push my thinking! Do you have a link to Einstein's essay? My admittedly rushed search isn't yielding results, but I would love to read it and consider your insights more thoroughly.
My more knee-jerk reaction, as a placeholder for now, would lead me to something like this. Far be it from me to speak for Jung, which I am majorly (spectacularly) unqualified to do, but if I may: I don't think that Jung is saying that these "one million people" are ACTUAL zeros, but that a lack of connection with our fuller selves (and the consequent susceptibility to nefarious messaging meant to activate those very instincts, in all of us, to respond in fear and seek security) mean that they are not showing up as themselves, but rather as facsimiles of themselves, which leads to a very thin substitute for the true interdependence that you point to, and is the unarguable reality of our existence whether we know it or not.
That thin substitute - belonging to a group rather than acknowledging true interdependence - is the danger we face when we don't truly get to know all parts of ourselves, when we (to boil it down in the interest of brevity) sequester and ignore the "bad parts." This feels true to me?
To bring it back around to the "disorder" I pointed to in my post, I think it's possible to "live for others" from a place of unexamined guilt and obligation, which leads to a sense of fractured self and martyrdom (I've been there!), or we can live for others from a place of true self-inquiry which leads to an unequivocal, calm, deep and profound sense of interdependence and devotion that the great people of history have shown us is possible. So it's more like a personal inquiry that leads to a political stance, but I think the personal inquiry is a huge determinant of how we actually go about living that way, and that's how I read Jung (rightly or wrongly).
I have a funny little stand-in story that demonstrates this, and I always return to it b/c it captures the whole thing perfectly: my dear friend was really trying to address a complex presentation of dietary needs for her kids, when we were in the middle of young-kid chaos. In the middle of all of that, she knew that hand-oiling kale leaves (rubbing each leaf to breakdown the cellulose, or whatever) would be beneficial, so she added that to the list of ten million daily things to do and think and worry about. At one point, we just broke down laughing, because she finally realized that the poisonous anger and that she was feeling about having to spend time rubbing oil into a kale leaf was probably more insidiously dangerous than any benefits the kale could possibly have given the kids.
Whether or not this is true, it does show - perfectly, to me - how we can do things from different orientations and that orientation can and will directly impact the collective experience, whether familial or (to extrapolate) political. If that makes sense? Just thinking aloud so very eager for any other comments/responses if you're willing!
This is precisely the kind of comment I always hope for, so thank you so very much.
Perhaps this doesn’t fulfill the need to find order in the chaos but I can say that this column landed perfectly for me today Allison. Whether it was perfect timing or coincidence, the result was a good one. Thank you for your thoughtful writings!
Wow wow wow! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so very much for taking the time to say so! Whether or not it fulfills that need, it definitely adds to the joy of it all. :)
This is eloquent and thought provoking so thanks for that. Yet Jung strikes me as a bluffer who uses hyperbole and insinuates that he has an impossible insight into the unknowable. The million zeroes are of course not zeroes at all. I prefer the cosmic vision of Einstein’s 1948 essay “Why We Need Socialism.” He begins with the condition of the human soul: we are more dependent than ever on our social interdependence and yet we perceive it as a degrading threat. To make a long story short, Einstein argues, like Tolstoy, that life is only meaningful when we live for others. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I read him as psychologically and politically opposed to the direction in which Jung would push us.
What an equally thought-provoking comment. I'm so grateful for this invitation to push my thinking! Do you have a link to Einstein's essay? My admittedly rushed search isn't yielding results, but I would love to read it and consider your insights more thoroughly.
My more knee-jerk reaction, as a placeholder for now, would lead me to something like this. Far be it from me to speak for Jung, which I am majorly (spectacularly) unqualified to do, but if I may: I don't think that Jung is saying that these "one million people" are ACTUAL zeros, but that a lack of connection with our fuller selves (and the consequent susceptibility to nefarious messaging meant to activate those very instincts, in all of us, to respond in fear and seek security) mean that they are not showing up as themselves, but rather as facsimiles of themselves, which leads to a very thin substitute for the true interdependence that you point to, and is the unarguable reality of our existence whether we know it or not.
That thin substitute - belonging to a group rather than acknowledging true interdependence - is the danger we face when we don't truly get to know all parts of ourselves, when we (to boil it down in the interest of brevity) sequester and ignore the "bad parts." This feels true to me?
To bring it back around to the "disorder" I pointed to in my post, I think it's possible to "live for others" from a place of unexamined guilt and obligation, which leads to a sense of fractured self and martyrdom (I've been there!), or we can live for others from a place of true self-inquiry which leads to an unequivocal, calm, deep and profound sense of interdependence and devotion that the great people of history have shown us is possible. So it's more like a personal inquiry that leads to a political stance, but I think the personal inquiry is a huge determinant of how we actually go about living that way, and that's how I read Jung (rightly or wrongly).
I have a funny little stand-in story that demonstrates this, and I always return to it b/c it captures the whole thing perfectly: my dear friend was really trying to address a complex presentation of dietary needs for her kids, when we were in the middle of young-kid chaos. In the middle of all of that, she knew that hand-oiling kale leaves (rubbing each leaf to breakdown the cellulose, or whatever) would be beneficial, so she added that to the list of ten million daily things to do and think and worry about. At one point, we just broke down laughing, because she finally realized that the poisonous anger and that she was feeling about having to spend time rubbing oil into a kale leaf was probably more insidiously dangerous than any benefits the kale could possibly have given the kids.
Whether or not this is true, it does show - perfectly, to me - how we can do things from different orientations and that orientation can and will directly impact the collective experience, whether familial or (to extrapolate) political. If that makes sense? Just thinking aloud so very eager for any other comments/responses if you're willing!
This is precisely the kind of comment I always hope for, so thank you so very much.
Try Albert Einstein, Why Socialism, Monthly Review.
Perhaps this doesn’t fulfill the need to find order in the chaos but I can say that this column landed perfectly for me today Allison. Whether it was perfect timing or coincidence, the result was a good one. Thank you for your thoughtful writings!
Wow wow wow! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so very much for taking the time to say so! Whether or not it fulfills that need, it definitely adds to the joy of it all. :)
Always thinking Allison.