It needs a name…

We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off.

~Tyler Durden

“This is the Beat Generation” which appeared in the New York Times Magazine on November 16, 1952 and attempted to define the very essence of the young people of the movement. He wrote that those of the Beat Generation harbored more than just weariness, but carried raw feelings of being used and endured a nakedness of mind and soul. Jack Kerouac countered in interviews by explaining that “beat” really meant “beatific” or “sacred,” and many interpreted his works as exercises in capturing the holiness of the downtrodden.”

http://washingtonart.com/beltway/opsasnik.html

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Listening to the shock over the last few years, in general, of our young men, who kill with weapons of mass destruction? Now I see it is not a gun or assault weapon that we should worry about but any sort of destructive tool. I ask this question, are all of these random acts of violence random? It is beyond religion, race or country. These young man have intelligence, college and lack accountability. I hold parents, institutions and all of us accountable too. I see this as a global problem. My insight tells me that we are seeing a manifestation of repressed shadow at play, with roots that are deep in the unconscious of these young men: manifesting in our young men in times of disillusionment and abasement. How else can we understand this hate, malice and disregard for life, joy and innocence?

I have spent a good deal of my life with rebellious men; ones that I watched in films, those in bands, artists and writers. I feel rebellion is healthy in any culture. It asks questions and plays with a culture creatively and freely. Yet, what I see now goes much further and deeper and shows us the real face of a powerful diabolical shadow. It needs a name.

My son is a part of this generation of young men, he grew up with the Matrix, Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings, not to forget to mention all of the anime cartoons and comic books. Somehow the foresight of these stories, myths and archetypes draw upon the individual young men and their ability to endure and conquer the evils of the world, but some of the characters, on an individual level, join this shadow and do untold harm to others and a culture. We need these stories now and I am glad they are here.

I am listening deeply and I believe that this new generation of young men have an intense unconscious to deal with. Some pop under this pressure.

I am not talking about gangs or any drug culture supported by addicts’ that are unaware and adrift in it. I see something deeper and beyond this… almost like a cancer.

So what can we do? Well, by reflecting on what I am saying and considering what I am saying, is a good start. I am sure I am not the only one seeing this either? We need to stop projecting blame on the individual young man but start looking at his shadowy cancer instead. The unconscious shadow of these young men is perverted and out of balance. This shadow is in all of us, yes it is part us all. It is part of who we are as human beings. We need to do something creatively unique and focus our conscience, our attention on this hidden issue. Maybe, read the books of their generation or at least talk to them about these stories. The world that incarnated with them is the world of computers, cell phones and endless games online or elsewhere.

This is not a solution but an insight into this problem at hand… it is time for all of us to listen to our young men. We may not agree with what they have to say, but it is time to acknowledge the big shadow they are carrying on their backs. It is a hidden collective unconscious that acts randomly on the individual. I feel this is due to a buildup of repressed negativity from many cultures from around the world. It is global. The world is getting faster and faster. Technology is moving faster and faster as well. It is time to slow down again and take the path of quality over quantity. We need to show them the value of life instead of only pushing them towards fame, fortune or wealth.

Take a breath and just listen….

Carl Jung Quote from his book Memories, Dreams, Reflections

An ethical obligation :

To the female journey and her male partner / animus.

While riding the trail of my thoughts and goals I came upon a post that says that “blogging is a waste of time.” I do not agree with this point of view. Which takes me back to my obligation. Also, I get pulled into reconsidering my work as a writer. Do I write for free, or do I write to help and join in? I want to write with value, integrity, and financial gain. I like getting paid for my work. So, this year I will decline writing for free for others.

Yet here I write to promote and express my dreams on my blog. I may find ways to author my own books on subjects from the past, present or future, but not for free anymore. I am not asking for freelance pay as so much per word but something that makes me feel valued and appreciated for my expertise and experience. Thanks

“… to do something for its own sake and not for the sake of another human being – runs counter to feminine nature and often can be achieved only with effort.”
~Emma Jung on the Animus

I often wonder why I write and create at all: for whom and why? I struggle with this. As I am sure all individuals that create do. I mean who cares? I love Carl Jung because he supports the individual’s pursuit in becoming aware and becoming whole. He does this for each individual his magic touches.

He gave meaning out of the chaos of my life and put me on the right path; towards or from the darkness or light. The quote below wakes me to my responsibility to my ethical obligation. I see him as an elder or father. For years now his books have been on my shelves waiting for me to hold them and reflect on the words of a wise friend and counselor.

“That is what we usually neglect to do. We allow the images to rise up and maybe we wonder about them, but that is all. We do not take the trouble to understand them, let alone draw ethical conclusion from them. This stopping-short conjures up the negative effects of the unconscious. It is equally a grave mistake to think that it is enough to gain some understanding of the images and that knowledge can here make a halt. Insight into them must be converted into an ethical obligation.

Not to do so is to fall prey to the power principle and this produces dangerous effects which are destructive not only to others but even to the knower. These images of the unconscious place a great responsibility upon a man. Failure to understand them, or a shirking of ethical responsibility, deprives him of his wholeness and imposes a painful fragmentariness of his life.”~ Carl Jung

Our penal system is hell on earth

The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison.

Nathaneil Hawthorn, The Scarlet Letter

Prison. The place where we put the bad people. Well not all people who end up in prison are bad people. A lot of them are just poor, young and uneducated people. Gang people end up in prison too. Drugies end up there as well. When ya think about it for a democratic country we have one big prison population problem.

I think this is one place where I do not want to go.

Lock Up on channel MSMBC it has an interesting on-going documentary on prison life. I watch it more than I like too.

For me it is walking with the shadow into an unbearable cruel world. What is wrong with us? I keep wondering what is it that I could do to change our prison system. How do I live knowing that others are suffering so much? Wake up!

It amazes me seeing the ability prisoners have to adjust to such an unjust system of control; but survival is the key here and love is found too.

The Birdman of Alcatraz is an amazing individual to study when thinking about what kind of transformation an imprisoned individual can achieve in the worst of living conditions. The Birdman of Alcatraz

http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/stroud.htm

( http://www.nbcnews.com/id/27118605/ns/msnbc_tv-documentaries)

HOLY SPIT or Mahony the fahony…!!

A Flopside Editorial

The memos the men wrote made clear that they were aware children had been raped and otherwise assaulted and were attempting to keep authorities in the dark. They discussed giving the abusive priests out-of-state assignments and keeping them from seeing therapists who might have altered law enforcement.

– Los Angeles times: Charges unlikely for Mahony by Harriet Ryan… Wednesday January 23 2013

Mahony should admit his guilt and step down.

All the parents of the Catholic Church should give up their faith and step down because a terrible crime was committed, again and again and again.

He did not protect the innocent nor did he give help for those in need.

The Catholic Church is based on a mythology that is as false as its actions. I am going to start a new ritual.

I call it the HOLY SPIT and each time I see a Catholic Church I will do you know what? I invite you to join me.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-church-files-20130123,0,3180168.story

fall back on Thomas Paine

It’s never a good idea to discuss religion or politics with people you don’t really know.” Agree or disagree?

The Praying Mantis Tree. A happy flower of anarchy... — The Praying Mantis Tree. A happy flower of anarchy…

I can only take the above statement ironically. For me it’s never a good idea to discuss religion or politics with people I do know. As in my family, as in where I grew up. I am pointing my figure at my father. It is the kind of finger you use when you are really pissed off too. Growing up in a patriarchal family, a patriarchal world, meant you could not express yourself unless you wanted to fight. Yelling and screaming was the “pain of independence” * we had to suffer when politics or religion came to the dinner table. To this day I think I am still yelling, unconsciously, to be heard. I have found that people I don’t know seem to really not care much about talking politics or religion. Yet, I can usually have a good conversation most of the time. A good discussion means listening and talking; sharing and being respective. As a person who has a BA in Religious Studies I find this subject very interesting. The reason I did not complete my Master of Arts in Religious Studies is due to the fact that the freedom to learn and express oneself, at Mount Saint Mary’s college in Los Angeles California, became stifling, repressive and downright unfair. I witnessed favoritism towards those individuals who were Catholics. One Sister, department head, did everything that she could to suppress my creative voice. Yes she was a lot like my father. I left the program. My focus is interfaith. I love talking to people about their faith, their culture as well as their individual unique perspective on religion. I like listening to atheists and secularists as well. I do find conservative religions such as the Evangelical tradition, and conservative politics as the Tea Party people: as very difficult people to talk to. These people are like my father. They close their eyes and ears and seem to lack the ability to discuss anything that makes sense to me. So I fall back on Thomas Paine.

The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection. ~ Thomas Paine

In conclusion I cannot agree or disagree with the above quote. I do listen to people I do not know very well. I listen to their perspectives on religion and politics,. I try to discuss religion and politics with people who I know, but I prefer discussing politics and religion with people I do not know.

* this quote is from Susan Cain’s book Quiet http://www.bookbuddie.com/quiet.html