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The Next Viable You
We can easily see that an apocalypse is living itself out in our society and the world. In psychological terms this means “in the collective psyche, in an unconscious and therefore destructive way.” The collective Self, the life force, challenges us directly to consciously awaken to the brutal realities that it reveals and that we have tried so hard to avoid. We must remember Jung’s statement that what we haven’t faced in ourselves and life will become our fate. The truth is, as it always is, that when facing our shadow and our own darkness, whether personal or collective, we must not get bogged down in discouragement, guilt, or shame. What is called for is the response (Reynolds) Price describes: “Have one hard cry, if the tears will come. Then stanch the grief, by whatever legal means. Next find your way to be somebody else, the next viable you — a stripped-down whole other clear-eyed person, realistic as a sawed-off shotgun, and thankful for air.”
— from Facing the Apocalypse: by Bud Harris, PhD
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I would say about individuals, an individual dies when [they} cease to be surprised. I am surprised every morning that I see the sunshine again. When I see an act of evil, I’m not accommodated. I don’t accommodate myself to the violence that goes on everywhere; I’m still surprised. That’s why I’m against it, why I can hope against it. We must learn how to be…
