“Okay,”
you’re asking, “What does the Mississippi River have to do with me?” Here’s the link. Carl Jung observed
that within all cultures, there is a kind of “herd mentality” or a
“group-think” that people automatically accept without too much thought. As
discussed in Keep Your Eye on the Prize! www.keepyoureyeontheprize.orgpeople
in this “collective unconscious” mindset are on “auto pilot” in life. Like the
mighty Mississippi River, they flow along, accepting without question the
values and behavior dictated by the group. Do you remember this from school? Did
you feel pressure to “go along” with the “cool crowd” in order to be accepted,
even though this may not have been entirely comfortable? Did you feel that you
were in a box that was not entirely of your own making? Well, here’s good news;
you have a choice.
Jung
encouraged us to step out of this box into the world of possibilities and
decide in a conscious way how we wish to live. According to Jung, the goal of
life is individuation. M. Scott Peck, M.D. called this process taking the “road
less traveled,” the road that will take us down the life we are meant to enjoy.
But how do you get onto your true pathway rather than a false one? Finding your
own path and not getting sidetracked onto someone else’s can be tricky, as
circumstances and important relationships can influence us to make choices we may
later reject. However, while it is good to “think out of the box,” it does not
make sense to dive into weird or destructive activities just for the sake of
being different. Instead, adopt a flexible mindset, recognizing that there are
many useful and joyful ways to live life. You can accept some ideas and discard
others that do not “fit.” At the end of this trying out process, you may decide
that you fit best with the collective culture and values around you, and that
is fine too. The idea is to make this decision in a conscious way that will leave you feeling good
about yourself and life, recognizing that over time your priorities and values
may shift with experience and result in different choices.
Fundamental
to this process are the core values that you assemble. This involves the
Spiritual Compass Point we discussed earlier. Test your beliefs in order to
learn which ones to save and which to discard. Use them when you have to solve
a problem in your life. Build a social support system of those who share your
core beliefs, so that you do not feel alone. At the same time, work on
tolerating those with different points of view without over-reacting
defensively and emotionally—a skill that can take the rest of your life. And if
you find yourself drifting uncomfortably down the Mighty Mississippi in a river
of values that don’t fit with who you are, just head for the shore and the new
roads beyond!
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