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« Rebirth—Dying with Life | Main | My Week of Blog Silence... »

August 23, 2004

Comments

Tom

David,

Your most recent post brings me out of the lurking woods.

I've been following this Jungian line with great interest. It intersects closely with a longstanding interest of mine regarding the time (unfortunately, still in the future) when we Boomers will step proudly into the ancient role of tribal elders. I believe our deep rejection/denial of aging and death stems from our collective fantasy that we were the end of history; that we would, to borrow from Crosby, Still and Nash, "save the world." All would be in our image after us.

Of course, this was pure narcissism.

We now find ourselves pathetically holding onto collective fantasies ("60 is the new 30", "Cialis: when a relaxing moment turns into the right moment, will you be ready?", and so on), unable to face the tasks intrisic to our time.

It's not the poignance of Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" that we hear in our collective voice, but the ceaseless repetition of our generational motto, "Look at me, I'm special!"

Now, we'll see if someone can find ways to cast light on our developmental realities AND and market products/services/experiences in a manner that is more than simply manipulative (repackaging the same things in slicker skins).

Meanwhile, if I hear one more Rolling Stones song used in a commercial...

Evelyn Rodriguez

"These tasks are developmental and though they are ever-present we’re mostly unconscious of their influence on our behavior."

Just been silent because I'm mostly taking it in. I'm on the cusp of Boomer and Gen X.

But I wonder if not more people do have an interest - perhaps placed squarely as a priority - in actively engaging in personal development, or what Clayton Christensen I've noted calls 'personal innovation'. At first, this might be 'pure narcissism' as Tom above notes. If one keeps going with 'personal' development - at least in my own experience - it enters into the deeply transpersonal realm.

David Wolfe

First, a response to Tom:

You wrote: "I believe our deep rejection/denial of aging and death stems from our collective fantasy that we were the end of history; that we would, to borrow from Crosby, Still and Nash, "save the world." All would be in our image after us.

Of course, this was pure narcissism."

Good call! I've long said that altruism is not defined by the act but by the motives underlying the act. Keeping in mind that contemporary brain science says we generally have poor insight into our underlying motivations at any age, it's not too far-fetched to assert that much of the cause-driven behavior in the 1960s and '70s was rooted more in narcissism than in altruism than commonly appreciated.

Also, Tom, the days of boomers beginning to fill the ranks of our "tribal elders" are at hand. As an older, Silent Generation member, I see the signs quite clearly.

To Evelyn: You wrote: But I wonder if not more people do have an interest - perhaps placed squarely as a priority - in actively engaging in personal development, or what Clayton Christensen I've noted calls 'personal innovation'. At first, this might be 'pure narcissism' as Tom above notes. If one keeps going with 'personal' development - at least in my own experience - it enters into the deeply transpersonal realm."

Your observations about "narcissism" are on target. At first glance -- and I'm often asked about this -- the increased turning toward the inner self at higher levels of psychological maturation can appear to be a narcissistic turn of events. However,it's a an necessary exercise in service of the Fifth Task of Aging -- finding new rooting of the self from which one's view of the world, life and death is seen from a broader perspective than permitted by a narcissistic worldview.

Good thoughts from both of you guys! Thanks.

The comments to this entry are closed.

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