Tag: Tyler Durden

It needs a name…

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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….

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Understanding the Shadow…or maybe it is risky to have a shot of Makers Mark with Tyler Durden.

I don’t know if others working with their shadow experience this or not. Recently I engaged with a lot of creative forgiveness work with others and myself. I call it taming the wild woman within. The symbol that comes to mind is the wild purple thistle that grows on the hills and fields in my town. Interesting to view, sticky, needles all over, and that purple color…wow. Yet often we tend to cut down and do not give time for this wild purple thistle to come to full fruition.

Occasionally we see them in forgotten fields or in an uncut neighbor’s lawn. I love them. I tend to cut them down too. I know that when we do too much healing, or forgiveness and bring that impressive light into our bliss felt little existence, we ignore the shadow in us. Then like the wild thing that it is, it pops up in the most unexpected ways.

 Maybe it is a projection of our shadow on to a situation that is not to our liking. Be it stress, too much whiskey or pushing our comfort zone. It was a simple thing for me, where a few so-called friends ignored me at a bar.

This hurt my feelings so then the shadow monster came forth. I tend to ride the creative expression of the shadow, not suppress it. This, for me, can be an uncontrollable expression. I might use my “fuck you finger,” or kick a bar door with my foot. Maybe bring up those elements of the film Fight Club in my life, as in the relationship between the narrator and Tyler Durden. Yet that was how it was directly for me as a punk fanzine journalist.

The “l being” is to fight with oneself and in the above mentioned film the shadow does motivate an underground revolution. My revolution being the one within myself in relation to the world, but one needs to find balance.

The key is becoming conscious of all of this. Achieving this balance then between our civilized self and wild self. If I find wild purple thistle growing in my garden, I will let it come to full bloom. I will not let it take over completely. Likewise, if my lawn becomes conservative and meticulous in greenness, I will let some part of it go wild. So here I sit in my bed with possible torn ligaments in my right leg. This is extreme shadow pain. I am hopeful of the lesson learned!?