Reply #14: I've been turning that idea around in my head

[MedleyMisty]

I haven't done a lot of Jung research (I'll add it to my list of subjects for future research), but I have read a bit about moral development lately. I like Dabrowski's theory of positive disintegration.

It seems like within the last century, quite a few humans have made it into the upper levels of morality development - thus the struggles for peace and for human rights. Of course, it's also been a very bloody and violent century.

According to Dabrowski's theory, suffering is needed for moral development. It seems to me as if most humans can't really feel the pain of others until they feel their own pain. I mean, just think about what Jung would probably call archetypes - Buddha didn't start his journey to enlightenment until he left the palace grounds and saw sickness and pain and old age and death. Jesus had to suffer on the cross. Harry Potter had to live with an abusive family for eleven years in the cupboard under the stairs, and then go through other things that would be spoilers. ;)

Also, in Dabrowski's theory, not a whole lot of people make it past the transitional level, level two. Level one is your basic Republican - motivated by selfishness and greed and things are only judged right or wrong by how they affect you personally.

But then some catalyst event comes along and you make it to level two, and you either get through it to level three and continue to develop or you go crazy and possibly kill yourself or you slide back down to level one. An awful lot of hardcore level one people are in power right now, pushing back against those of us who've made it to the higher levels.

Here's hoping the the species makes it through.

I'd go more in depth and provide links and stuff, but it's bed time. Hopefully by some miracle this thoughtful and reasoned thread will still be around tomorrow.