“Wake up, people!”
I see it a lot on Facebook postings and comments, often by friends of mine.
A description of a social problem, an ascription to overt or hidden causes, an implication that it’s almost people’s own fault for being deceived. Then, “Wake up, people!”
I recognize people’s good intentions here; they want others to become aware of what they have learned (they assuming of course that what they have learned is accurate, but let’s take that for granted, for the sake of the argument). The implication is that nothing can be done until the people (or perhaps a certain number of people) “wake up.” And of course we live in the world; its affairs concern us.
However, put this together with Carl Jung’s wise and apt quotation: “He who looks outward dreams; he who looks inward awakes.” That suggests that our best means of awakening is not concentration on external affairs but on learning who and what we ourselves are.
To those fixated on “external” problems, this will seem to be merely escapism. But such is the nature of dreams. Wake up, people. 🙂
The quote above from Carl Jung and Frank’s comments remind me that my external world is the projection of my internal world. As my perspective has shifted and widened with ideas brought forth by Frank, TGU, John, Jim, Inger Lise and everyone who contributes here, I am expanding my perception from being an individual in this physical dimension to including my participation as part of a community in this awareness.
In the aftermath of the Paris and San Bernardino attacks I contemplated my role in their occurrences (the external reflecting my internal). That’s an overwhelming concept when seen through the singular perspective that I am one separate individual.
By expanding the concept of myself to a collective makes it easier to grasp the possibility that what I see and experience in this physical dimension is the projection of my multi-faceted community. All events, from my daily local interactions with people, places & things to events affecting large portions of humanity (whether perceived as negative or positive) are projections of my internal multi-faceted community.
Does that mean that the terrorist attacks and other catastrophic global events can be viewed as expressions of my collective shadow self, parts of my own community that need acceptance and healing? If so, rather than focus on the external events themselves, I can use them as links to explore those threads that need acceptance and healing in myself. is this what is meant by psychological integration? If so, how is this accomplished? Lots to explore here with my community (TGU).
In a previous post I read this quote from Jung “if you wish to overcome evil, you must absorb it and transform it. And this can only come from extension not from contraction, surely. That is from love, not rejection or hatred.”
Happy holidays to all.
Karla
Amen!
Nice, concise insight, Frank! I’m finding, especially w/ all the seeming craziness going on, that my going within is truly the way to my personal sanity! Plus, I get the added benefit, as stated, of finding out more of who I truly am. In the meantime, I enjoy sharing ideas w/ others (mostly about these more esoteric matters), and get a better idea of what I feel “called to do” about something, if anything. For e.g., if I don’t like the idea of GMO food, I can “GMO-Grow My Own” as much as practical…
Craig