PERENNIAL 79
The Discipline of Clarity — According to Jung
How to Find Your Way
How much clarity do you have in your life? I don’t mean structure. I am referring to clarity in your philosophy of life. In Letters from a Stoic, Seneca advised Lucilius, “If one does not know which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.”
According to Seneca, we all experience the same problem. We are harassed by instability and boredom due to our constant change of purpose. Simply put, we have not adopted a single rule to live by. Although, Seneca is not alone in stressing the importance of clarity.
The psychologist Carl Jung wrote,
We should know what our convictions are and stand for them. One’s own philosophy, conscious or unconscious, depends on one’s ultimate interpretation of facts. Therefore it is wise to be as clear as possible about one’s subjective principles.
Here are a few questions to contemplate:
- What are your principles?
- Where are you headed?
- What is truly most important?
In Memories, Dreams, and Reflections, Jung explained: “I have frequently seen people become neurotic when they content themselves with inadequate or wrong answers to the questions of life.” They…
