Stephen was (as usual) explaining a philosophical concept to me. Thank God for him, else I would be a total ignoramus. The Hard Problem of Consciousness in The Philosophy of Mind is this. You can explain in molecular detail the chemical composition of Coca Cola, but you cannot explain what it is like to drink it. This is the problem ' we can't explain what it is like to have an experience, whether it is listening to music, tasting chocolate mousse,...
Do you believe a man can escape his destiny? I believe a man does everything he can until his destiny is revealed to him. Nathan Algren, The Last Samurai. As long as I live I will never forget the line or the sentiment. I believe it expresses something profoundly important about living authentically and with courage. I want to share with you a small part of what it takes to 'do everything you can until your destiny is revealed to you,' and why it...
Do you ever behave in a manner which leaves you wondering what the hell you were thinking? Something came over you? You were possessed? You are not the master of your own house. You must have had that experience where the wrong thing pops out of your mouth and you are so embarrassed that you wish the earth would open up and swallow you. Or you lose it and scream like a banshee at someone. Or you are confronted with a dilemma...
Anja was listening to radio 702 the other day (isn't she always). Anyway, she told me about a caller to the show, who said, the problem with the youth today is that they no longer have role models. Or, if they do, their role models are less than 'ideal'. The caller went on to say that in yesteryear the ideal profession was to become a doctor or a lawyer (I would add chartered accountant to that list), but these lofty professions...
I don't know about you, but when I hear the word 'Destiny', it completely intimidates me. What? Am I supposed to save the world or sacrifice myself? I remember as a small child in Sunday school being totally freaked out by the minister. He said 'God has already ordained your destiny and when he calls you, you must answer, because not answering will render your life useless! You will never succeed at anything else but God's will.' Hectic! This had a profound impact...
In one sense, at least, life is quite simple. At any point in time you are either busy being born or you are busy dying. In the world today this is usually understood in a physical sense- our identification with our bodies is absolute. This is the reason for the obsession with youth and youthful appearance that frequently endures long past when such a 'youthful appearance' is appropriate or attractive. The inescapable truth though is that nature is a bitch. That beauty...
Ok, I confess! Stephen and I love True Blood. (it is very psychological, OK!!!) We are currently watching Season 4; and oh what a disappointment! Eric, Vampire, Viking….. hot, hot, HOT! Or rather he used to be… . For those of you unfamiliar with 'True Blood' and the various characters, let me explain. Eric is over 1000 years old. He is a Viking made Vampire and he is BAD! Hot but BAD! And if your thing is bad boys, he is it. But...
I don't know about you, but I truly love children. Of course I love my own children, but beyond them I love children generally. Children possess a humanity which is absent in most adults. They know how to love, how to laugh, how to cry, and perhaps most importantly how to play. What is life, after all, if we're not at play. Sometimes I encounter kids who seem like little adults, embedded in reality; or as Freud would put it, living...
An ex- lover of mine contacted me on Facebook. We had a love affair when I was 20. He was so beautiful! It turned out that he stays in the same suburb as me and asked me to meet for coffee. So I mentioned to Stephen that my former lover wants to have coffee… 'What are you going to do?' He asked, suspiciously. I thought I would tease him and raised one eyebrow . 'No, I am not comfortable with that!' he proclaimed. 'Don't you...
Once a long, long time ago in a land far, far away there was a particular type of man. A man who lived life as if he had a pair. This truly was an exotic creature, not to be confused with your garden variety metro-sexual. I speak of a man that is not some lily livered, hormonally imbalanced, girl man. A man who measured himself by how he crushed his enemies underfoot, how many women he had taken to his bed,...
© Copyright Applied Jung 2023. All Rights Reserved. 