A review by diana_eveline
The Undiscovered Self: The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society by C.G. Jung
4.0
“Ultimately everything depends on the quality of the individual, but our fatally short-sighted age thinks only in terms of large numbers and mass organizations...”
Jung pleads for the acknowledgement of the value of the human individual in a world that continues to lean towards mass-oriented practices and views. According to Jung, the true meaning of life and the duality of our concious existence can be found within oneself. Too often do people turn to others for answers or let themselves be governed by the rule of impactful movements, institutions or other forms of collective influence. The collective forces may be tempting but must be resisted. Perhaps looking inward is frightening and we would much rather find the evil outside ourselves. But the sooner we realise that the capicity for great evil lies within each one of us, the sooner we can become one with ourselves and our human nature.
Despite having heard a lot of Jung and knowing a fair amount about his view on the human psyche and the philosophical elements underlying his psychological works, this is the first time I have picked up one of his actual works. This was a very welcome birthday present from a dear friend. Jung has a way with words and manages to bring across tremendous wisdom in these wonderfully deep but condensed essays. I do think he sometimes discredits his work a little by making oversimplified analogies about enormous topics and then skips over the nuance of them. I could usually make out where he was going but sometimes, it almost seemed like he took his conclusion to the issue at hand was quite self-evident when I don't think that was always the case.
A very enjoyable read. Jung's writing styles takes a little to get used to but once you're there, it is difficult to not appreciate it. I very much look forward to reading more of his work!
Jung pleads for the acknowledgement of the value of the human individual in a world that continues to lean towards mass-oriented practices and views. According to Jung, the true meaning of life and the duality of our concious existence can be found within oneself. Too often do people turn to others for answers or let themselves be governed by the rule of impactful movements, institutions or other forms of collective influence. The collective forces may be tempting but must be resisted. Perhaps looking inward is frightening and we would much rather find the evil outside ourselves. But the sooner we realise that the capicity for great evil lies within each one of us, the sooner we can become one with ourselves and our human nature.
Despite having heard a lot of Jung and knowing a fair amount about his view on the human psyche and the philosophical elements underlying his psychological works, this is the first time I have picked up one of his actual works. This was a very welcome birthday present from a dear friend. Jung has a way with words and manages to bring across tremendous wisdom in these wonderfully deep but condensed essays. I do think he sometimes discredits his work a little by making oversimplified analogies about enormous topics and then skips over the nuance of them. I could usually make out where he was going but sometimes, it almost seemed like he took his conclusion to the issue at hand was quite self-evident when I don't think that was always the case.
A very enjoyable read. Jung's writing styles takes a little to get used to but once you're there, it is difficult to not appreciate it. I very much look forward to reading more of his work!