This great article for me is insightful, truthful and thought-provoking at so many levels it’s hard to know where to begin.

Let’s begin with credits: Carl Jung (the 20th century psychiatrist and early collaborator wis Freud) postulated from his observations a fairly scary hypothesis — he suggested that unconscious or subliminal energies in a person or institution if unaddressed (repressed, camouflaged) will manifest themselves in outward circumstances as “fate”. This article is a wonderful (and I believe deeply thought provoking) representation of this theory.

2nd, the article is written by person who self-labels as evangelical. If we were in an Christian bible study group the ideas expressed would be shown as two simple diagrams. One diagram would put “me”, “self” as the center of an orbital system and everything else such as people, places, values, behaviors and things simply orbiting me. The other diagram would put “God” at the center of the metaphorical solar system with “me” being placed as just a part among parts along with ALL people, powers, principals, behaviors and beliefs doing service to all around under guidance of the “not-me’ center. Non-evangelicals perhaps won’t recognize the courage and open-minded humility it takes to represent self-assessment. Without evoking a religious doctrinal spin or message put this post subtly suggests nothing helps one to progress more as a human being(s) than with wisdom and authenticity serving not one’s self but, paradoxically, by considering, respecting and serving others. The reverse is true, being consumed with self is a spiral into fear, disillusionment and alienation. People raised in evangelical religion (both Christian and Muslim) are so familiar with the fundamental messages (first shall be last, love neighbor as self, love your enemy, forgive, meek will inherit earth, the list would go on and on) as the central theme and key message they have often tragically discounted and relegated the heart of the message and substituted minor obtuse interpretations as levers for ego, power, exclusivity and imagined control in the name of selfishness. Never once does the author fall back to a background she is probably familiar with.

Two credits given, I am typing this response and clapping loudly for this article because, for me, I believe it speaks truth. I don’t know what was in the hearts or minds of past generations and generalization is always a slippery territory. AND, I believe we are manifesting as outward fate our collective unconscious. If there is any truth to this Carl Jung theory it is terrifying. We are committing shameful atrocities, we are polarized in camps that are basically cults of self centered mantras, we are oppressing others and afraid, we have forfeited our commitment to respect and equal opportunity for all and set aside service to God, country and family for an idol of self-aggrandizement. Our political leaders — crude, divisive, blaming and polarizing as they dangerously are (left and right, I make no distinctions) — are but a manifestation of our, all of us, unwillingness to be open hearted, accepting, listening and service minded in action.

To close this response let’s do a thought experiment. For a moment let’s all be agnostic or extremely sci-fi and ask this question. “If there is a God or Higher Power and that God has put in place principals or is actively involved in the drama of humanity — what would be the repercussions of headlong pursuit of the world’s richest and most powerful society spiraling into and ever deeper me-me-me pursuit?” For me I find the thought experimentation sobering.

I hope I go forward in this day being free of bondage to self but instead about what I can do for others. Sometimes I achieve this a little but always awkwardly, imperfect and surrendered and therefore helped by a power I don’t pretend to understand that does for me what I cannot do for myself.