Without self knowledge, without
Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave. G. I. Gurdjieff
Self Understanding
For Christians, the first
For Christians, the first priority may be theological self-understanding. For Jews it is, and after Auschwitz must be, simple safety for their children. In pursuit of this goal, Jews seek – are morally required to seek – independence of other people’s charity. They therefore seek safety – are morally required to seek it – through … Read more
The green prehuman earth
The green prehuman earth is the mystery we were chosen to solve, a guide to the birthplace of our spirit, but it is slipping away. The way back seems harder every year. If there is danger in the human trajectory, it is not so much in the survival of our own species as in the … Read more
Human existence may be
Human existence may be simpler than we thought. There is no predestination, no unfathomed mystery of life. Demons and gods do not vie for our allegiance. Instead, we are self-made, independent, alone, and fragile, a biological species adapted to live in a biological world. What counts for long-term survival is intelligent self-understanding, based upon a … Read more
Science fiction, because it
Science fiction, because it ventures into no man’s lands, tends to meet some of the requirements posed by Jung in his explorations of archetypes, myth structures and self-understanding. It may be that the primary attraction of science fiction is that it helps us understand what it means to be human. Frank Herbert
The testimony of the
The testimony of the greatest humans who have ever lived is that the way to make the most of ourselves is by transcending ourselves. We must learn to move beyond self-centeredness to make room within ourselves for others. When you transcend yourself, the fact will be confirmed by the quality of your life. We will … Read more
How could I have
How could I have been anyone other than me? Dave Matthews
It is facile to
It is facile to imply that smoking, alcoholism, overeating, or other ingrained patters can be upended without real effort. Genuine change requires work and self-understanding of the cravings driving behaviours. Charles Duhigg
It is that the
It is that the individual has within him or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for altering the self-concept basic attitudes, and his or her self-directed behavior – and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided Carl Rogers
Everything that irritates us
Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. Carl Jung