I have heard it said that our children are our greatest teachers. I'm not sure if that's always true, I would like to believe I know more now than I did as a kid- so doesn't that make me the teacher, rather than the student? Still, I have to concede, sometimes the exceptional happens, and a child comes along that does teach you. And when that happens it is both humbling and inspiring. Ruarc Alexander Farah, 5 years old, and my son,...
How secure do you think you and your loved are? Absolutely, 100% secure- free from any risk of harm or misfortune. As secure as one can reasonably be (which is pretty secure really), secure from anything bar an act of God (which is unlikely because I'm a clean living person and right with the Big Guy). Not all that secure, I recognise the potential for disaster is ever present. Which one of these three options, or some gradient between them, do you believe? I'm...
Love is not abstract it is particular. I hate to shatter your illusions, but when Michael Jackson shouted out I LOVE YOU on stage, as he was want to do, he wasn't referring to you in particular, so I hope you didn't take it too seriously Love is not something you give to your community, it is not something you give to mankind, it is not something for the poor, or even for God. This is an illusion perpetrated by Holy Men...
There is a tale about a young Zen monk, who, after many years of apprenticeship under a well known Zen master, became frustrated with his lack of progress. No longer able to contain himself he confronted the master and accused him of withholding the information he needed to reach Satori (enlightenment). The master listened patiently as the young monk passionately made his case. 'Have I not served you these long years master? Have I not amply demonstrated my humility, patience and sincerity?' asked...
How would you answer the question: Who are you? You might answer with a name. So in my case I might say: I am Stephen, or I am Stephen Farah. But this is limited and somewhat flawed answer to the question. You existed prior to being named, legally you can apply to change your name, and frequently people use an alias for one reason or another. Whilst a name has a power over you it is not who you inalienably are. If it were,...
You can either be good or whole, but not both- C. G. Jung. In this post I examine the Jungian concept of individuation. I will consider what Jung meant by this idea, some of challenges to this idea and how one can practically approach such a goal. Individuation This is the central goal of Jungian theory and practice. The idea is that each of us has an innate individuality. That we come into the world with a specific character, a soul imprint if...
I'm serious, I know that sounds like a crazy question, but I'm being dead serious (if you will forgive the pun). I might equally ask, have you ever been alive? I suspect, though, I know the answer to that question. I remember you as a child- and you were happy. I know you would cry at times and get angry or sad sometimes, but basically you were really, really happy. Happy to be alive and happy to be here or at least...
This is an amplification of an earlier post on the subject of truth and the stories we tell ourselves about it, to read the original post The Story of Truth click here. Let me begin with a story, the story of truth Once a long time ago in a land far away (well not far maybe), there lived a man who desperately wanted to know the truth. Eventually he could resist the impulse no longer and leaving his wife and children he...
A central idea in Romanticism was the idea of becoming. We are always in the process of becoming not only our future, but a future wherein we are different, and hopefully more, than we were before. You could say that becoming happens spontaneously as is evident in the changes we see in a child growing up. However Jung would argue that there is a world of difference between becoming which is driven by a conscious intention for individuation, and simply growing...
As people we always want to know things. We are incurably curious you might say. We want to know about what the neighbours are doing, what the latest celebrity gossip is, what the headlines are, who won the presidential election, when does the newest TV show start, who won the soccer, what time will they be here and so on. The list is endless: Who What Where When Why How How much With whom What for Now in that spirit let's ask another question, a question about the nature of curiosity itself....
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