In a world that seems to be falling apart, what do we hold onto that might prepare us to “not avert our eyes”—to remember that being human includes the dark, the deadly, and the uninvited? In “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man,”
“Instead of peace, we have war; instead of ideals, none [so far] put forth—including Christian Church, brotherhood of man, international social democracy—has stood the acid test of reality. . . . Behind each palliative measure there is a gnawing doubt. I believe I am not exaggerating when I say that modern man has suffered an almost fatal shock, psychologically speaking, and as a result has fallen into profound uncertainty” (Jung, 1928, CW10, para. 155 [italics added]).
Later, in the 1985 documentary, Matter of Heart, Jung said that “the world hangs on a thin thread, and that is the psyche of man.” If all of this sounds dire, it is. Watching society, civility, and life deteriorating into increasing polarization, devolving relationships, extinction of species, and desecration of sacred lands and practices is hard to look at. Harder still is finding and feeling compassion, trust, and courage in the face of such extreme crises.
Examining the purpose that undergirds ethical behavior, and listening to “the still, small voice” of conscience, provokes questions that are at the moment unanswerable. In this Saturday workshop, we will address these questions together in the hopes of helping us observe, with compassion and presence, our own collusion in the creation of such calamity—including the actions we might perform as individuals to repair the balance at the personal as well as the archetypal (collective) level of Order and Disorder.