The Undiscovered Self by C.G. Jung

The Undiscovered Self by C.G. Jung
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As I began reading this work, I was struck by what seemed like prescience on the part of Jung; how could he so clearly see the very things that I am witnessing around me in this present day? But what's clear is that Jung was an extremely keen observer of the human condition. There is nothing new under the sun, and the struggles of the human psyche have persisted since time immemorial.

Jung speaks at length about the external actors (namely government and religious entities) which exercise power over the masses by taking advantage of the fragmentation of the human psyche. We hobble ourselves and our ability to unite as a collective towards truly progressive means because we are so disconnected from our own knowledge of self. Even with pure or good-hearted intentions, our unacknowledged shadows can lead us astray.

This is a very introspective work, as it implores the reader to first look inward and face one's own darkness before attempting to face that of the world. I think such an approach to self-development is one that every single human could make powerful use of. This was my first foray into Jung but I'm quite eager to read more.

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