Having a hard time comparing the ongoing cultural and medical scandals of pediatric gender affirming care with the trials of our human condition that Jung speaks about.
I appreciate you bringing this up! From my perspective, the cultural and medical scandals of which you speak , along with all the other scandals and discord that are so rampant in today's world are all "symptoms" of this poor relationship we have with the "unconscious psychic contents" that Jung refers to in the quote. The more of us who do the work of making the unconscious conscious, the less need we'd have to inflict our buried pain onto others.
Jung himself said, "The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others."
“Unconscious psychic contents” vs evil medical scandal robbing vulnerable, unhappy, confused youth of their mental and physical health for a self serving ideology. 🤷♂️
A couple thoughts: I have been learning about the "artificial extension of childhood" lately. It's the idea that schools keep our children from fully developing and maturing when they are naturally meant to start doing so. (Of course, every child has their own schedule and time frame, and some mature more and less rapidly in some areas than others. But the idea is that school deliberately delays the inevitable maturation process so that children don't get to use their innate genius when they are young(er) and not so jaded and beaten down by the system. Keep them powerless in school for longer, saying they are not ready for the "real world" and by the time they get to said "real world" they are indoctrinated enough to play their very small and mundane part and have likely given up many of their big dreams.)
I wonder how this relates to our paths as mothers maturing into matriarchs. Is our time in motherhood being artificially extended so that we delay our maturation into matriarchs and all the blessings that time brings with it. By the time we get to step into our matriarch archetype, many of us may have been beaten down and tired and unable to fully embody the strength and wisdom that we have worked so hard for over our years of mothering.
(I won't even get started on how our society demonizes "old age" and sees matriarchs as old and youth is the only measure of value and worth of a woman. Or maybe I just did a little. I'll stop now.)
The other thing your article got me thinking about is acceptance, surrender and trust. I see these as phases on a continuum. Just as I have to move through that process myself: accept that my life is what it is in this moment, surrender to the Truth of that reality, and Trust that I am capable and resilient enough to live this reality to its fullest and to my greatest benefit, I have to allow my children that grace as well. Of course I have thought about this concept before, and I "know" it to be true, but knowing and integrating and living as if are their own continuum. This article helped me integrate this knowing more deeply. Thank you.
Yes, I know about the idea of the “artificial extension of childhood” and I certainly agree that’s what we’re witnessing. I also agree that the current education system plays a significant role in the ways you describe, though I don’t know that I think the system has enough self-awareness to recognize it.
“Many of us…have been beaten down and tired and unable to fully embody the strength and wisdom…” Doesn’t this describe most of humanity right now?
I think it’s appalling that mothers are being blamed for how children are responding to our broken systems, as if mothers themselves have not been used up and spit out by the same systems. I see the structures of the day scrambling to justify themselves and absolve themselves of responsibility for the current state of things by trying to blame families for not raising their children properly–like we’re somehow magically endowed to withstand the ravenous cultural forces that invade our own minds, our homes, and then seduce our children. I can only wish I was that witchy!!
“Acceptance, surrender and trust.” I loved your wise words here. I think we’re in a state of apocalypsis (destruction and rebirth) as a culture. It’s going to take acceptance, surrender and trust to ride the wild waves ahead. Change is inevitable. How do we say yes to that and play an intentional role in what will rise from the ashes?
Thank you for this lengthy and thought-provoking comment!
Thank you for this perspective. As I understand it, the extension of childhood also continues into the college years. Where adult children are still being taken care of by others, not just their physical needs (housing, meal plan, etc) but also by psychological coddling (protecting from microaggressions and any thoughts that might make them feel uncomfortable). And they're taught what to think instead of how to think critically.
I was recently watching a biography of Benjamin Franklin, who had only 2 years of formal education. The narrator said that without formal education, Franklin missed out on being told what was important and what could be discarded as unimportant. So instead he just learned everything, and as a result he was incredibly prolific in his scientific inquiries and inventions.
This is really beautifully written. While I agree with Charlotte Johnson's comment that it is difficult to square the societal insanity that is gender ideology (or whatever we want to call the many theories that have our daughters and sons rejecting their healthy bodies and pretending to be the opposite sex in fear that, if they don't, they will die) with any of Jung's archetypes, your explanation of how society's madness is a failure to properly grasp our shadow selves - or accept our Gods/archetypes - resonates.
Society has lost its way, and we have to find our way back. I think the journey back will take many forms. Some of us will fight for information to be freely given (again exposing shadow selves), some (I put you in this category) will fight to maintain sanity in insane times and not be consumed by the dark shadows of others being projected onto them. Some of us will present reality and hope others can receive it. We'll all have to work together to get past a very weird time.
In the meantime, your Jungian analysis can be a helpful reminder that our children must grapple with their own shadow selves, even in the oddest of circumstances. We can't just make society all better, and we can't ask our kids to simply ignore everything around them. We have to hope our kids will follow our own example and find the good in all of this. (Of course you put it much more poetically and concisely!)
I always appreciate your insights. I have to say that I have zero difficulty recognizing the play of the archetypes in gender ideology, nor do I find it surprising we find ourselves here. I think this new worldview is born out of society's madness, and I've shifted my thoughts a bit on whether society has lost its way--I think we're moving toward something; that we always are. I understand the drive to take down gender ideology, but in our current state (of madness? of wrong relationship to our demons?) I suspect it will just be replaced with some other way to hide from or shield ourselves against the mad demands of the time, or numb the pain, or avoid our shadow work.
I used to pine for a way to "find our way back," but then I thought: back to what? And I've come to believe there's no such thing. Humanity is iterating and that only goes in one direction, into something new (and hopefully better.) I think the current structures are crumbling, and as I sort of mentioned in my response to Ex-woke Mom, my plan is to maximize (and model) my own adaptive mechanism (which includes acceptance, surrender, and trust) and buckle up for the ride. Maybe I'll be around to contribute to what gets built on the other side. And if in the meantime, I can help others illuminate what's in their shadow (I think we're all guilty of projection) maybe I can contribute to the possibility that it will indeed be something better.
Well, there are many theories and angles as to where and who gave birth to this insane ideology that people can be born in the wrong body and through hormones and surgeries, can actually become the opposite sex. I'm sure Jung could tease out some basic origins from early pain and/or trauma in individuals.
Also, there were some pretty bad actors,
(doctors actually, I.e. John Money) back in the day who sought notoriety for their brave new thinking. Also have to consider the autogynephiles who are desperate to have us see their fetishized existence as normal human behavior.
The wholesale marketing of this ideology on young people in particular, and society at large is a whole another storv. First, it could
never have happened without the internet and the unfettered access available to young people and children. And there's the pornography angle that young minds are not equipped to handle, including cartoon porn.
$$ there.
Anime, cosplay-Big $$ there. Harmless you say? Do a little digging.
Want to know what a lifelong medical patient
is worth to big pharma and the medical profession? A LOT!
Selling a new body is a highly lucrative business.
There are many forces that have formed the narrative we are now being fed as a society.
*Children "just know" what their true gender is.
*Gender Affirming Care is lifesaving care.
*Children may commit suicide if denied this
'care'.
*Parents who question their children about this are not safe.
*Schools who suspect non-affirming parents must protect their children from them.
*Our President has called non-affirming parents 'cruel'.
*Gay rights and abortion rights and civil rights are now inextricably tied to transgender rights.
*The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society and the AMA at large all support gender affirming care. $$$$
*And, don't forget the Trans Activists who demand that we deny what our eyes can see.
The trans narrative rules.
Here's a great current example:
There is an initiative being proposed for the November ballot in California.
This initiative would give California voters the opportunity to vote on 3 things:
*Prohibit biological males from competing in women's competitive sports.
*Compel schools to notify parents if a child asks to socially transition to another gender at school.
*Prohibit the alteration of a minor child's body with hormones or surgery.
California attorney general Rob Bonita has the authority to title this initiative as it will appear on the November ballot.
Here is how he has titled this initiative:
RESTRICTS THE RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER YOUTH.
We restrict a lot of things from our youth, for very good reasons, but apparently giving minor children the authority to make lifelong irreversible decisions about their bodies is compassionate, kind, and "the right thing to do".
I'm curious, though, what you think makes a self selfish? What drives someone like John Money to seek notoriety? And what kind of deep pain creates autogynephilia? (Btw, I don't think any of it is harmless and am deeply concerned that so many could come to believe the answer to our psychological pain is high-risk, custom body modification.)
As I read your description, it would indeed seem like a formidable task to rid the world of this evil. When I set about to make sense of what was happening in the world, I saw the same things you describe and it was incredibly destabilizing, crushing even. I also realized that the "other side" sees the gender critical and those who would take away the care they believe to be life-saving as just as evil. They used the same language and tactics, and were also rallying to rid the world of the harm they saw being perpetrated on the world. They're just as passionate as you are, Charlotte. I will say what concerns me most about any of this is the way we dehumanize each other.
I don't see '“Unconscious psychic contents” vs evil medical scandal robbing vulnerable, unhappy, confused youth of their mental and physical health for a self serving ideology.' I see unconscious psychic contents vs unconscious psychic contents. I've chosen to put my energy toward creating conditions that will lead to our youth being less unhappy and confused and therefore less vulnerable to the marketing messages of transhumanism. I'm making a very conscious choice to use my voice, my gifts, and my platform to do the work that aligns with my values and that I believe is most likely to contribute to the more compassionate world I imagine is possible.
Great stuff - wise words indeed.
🙏
Having a hard time comparing the ongoing cultural and medical scandals of pediatric gender affirming care with the trials of our human condition that Jung speaks about.
I appreciate you bringing this up! From my perspective, the cultural and medical scandals of which you speak , along with all the other scandals and discord that are so rampant in today's world are all "symptoms" of this poor relationship we have with the "unconscious psychic contents" that Jung refers to in the quote. The more of us who do the work of making the unconscious conscious, the less need we'd have to inflict our buried pain onto others.
Jung himself said, "The best political, social, and spiritual work we can do is to withdraw the projection of our shadow onto others."
Amazing summary of the part of mothering/parenting that our society doesn’t address! I think there’s a book here…..
Hmmm. I had someone else recently encourage a book. I feel like I've already written one. ;)
I think both of our efforts are very valuable!
So much of people’s perception of transgender ideology is just plain ignorance.
My aim is to replace that ignorance with reality and basic information.
I don’t see my contribution as any more valuable than yours.
We all need to be aware of our psychic shadows too.
“Unconscious psychic contents” vs evil medical scandal robbing vulnerable, unhappy, confused youth of their mental and physical health for a self serving ideology. 🤷♂️
What are your thoughts on how evil medical scandals with such devastating consequences come to be? Who is the "self" of this self serving ideology?
Excellent insights. Thank you for this.
A couple thoughts: I have been learning about the "artificial extension of childhood" lately. It's the idea that schools keep our children from fully developing and maturing when they are naturally meant to start doing so. (Of course, every child has their own schedule and time frame, and some mature more and less rapidly in some areas than others. But the idea is that school deliberately delays the inevitable maturation process so that children don't get to use their innate genius when they are young(er) and not so jaded and beaten down by the system. Keep them powerless in school for longer, saying they are not ready for the "real world" and by the time they get to said "real world" they are indoctrinated enough to play their very small and mundane part and have likely given up many of their big dreams.)
I wonder how this relates to our paths as mothers maturing into matriarchs. Is our time in motherhood being artificially extended so that we delay our maturation into matriarchs and all the blessings that time brings with it. By the time we get to step into our matriarch archetype, many of us may have been beaten down and tired and unable to fully embody the strength and wisdom that we have worked so hard for over our years of mothering.
(I won't even get started on how our society demonizes "old age" and sees matriarchs as old and youth is the only measure of value and worth of a woman. Or maybe I just did a little. I'll stop now.)
The other thing your article got me thinking about is acceptance, surrender and trust. I see these as phases on a continuum. Just as I have to move through that process myself: accept that my life is what it is in this moment, surrender to the Truth of that reality, and Trust that I am capable and resilient enough to live this reality to its fullest and to my greatest benefit, I have to allow my children that grace as well. Of course I have thought about this concept before, and I "know" it to be true, but knowing and integrating and living as if are their own continuum. This article helped me integrate this knowing more deeply. Thank you.
Yes, I know about the idea of the “artificial extension of childhood” and I certainly agree that’s what we’re witnessing. I also agree that the current education system plays a significant role in the ways you describe, though I don’t know that I think the system has enough self-awareness to recognize it.
“Many of us…have been beaten down and tired and unable to fully embody the strength and wisdom…” Doesn’t this describe most of humanity right now?
I think it’s appalling that mothers are being blamed for how children are responding to our broken systems, as if mothers themselves have not been used up and spit out by the same systems. I see the structures of the day scrambling to justify themselves and absolve themselves of responsibility for the current state of things by trying to blame families for not raising their children properly–like we’re somehow magically endowed to withstand the ravenous cultural forces that invade our own minds, our homes, and then seduce our children. I can only wish I was that witchy!!
“Acceptance, surrender and trust.” I loved your wise words here. I think we’re in a state of apocalypsis (destruction and rebirth) as a culture. It’s going to take acceptance, surrender and trust to ride the wild waves ahead. Change is inevitable. How do we say yes to that and play an intentional role in what will rise from the ashes?
Thank you for this lengthy and thought-provoking comment!
Also--just want to acknowledge that I didn't specifically address all your points, but used them to springboard and make more of my own! 😜
Thank you for this perspective. As I understand it, the extension of childhood also continues into the college years. Where adult children are still being taken care of by others, not just their physical needs (housing, meal plan, etc) but also by psychological coddling (protecting from microaggressions and any thoughts that might make them feel uncomfortable). And they're taught what to think instead of how to think critically.
I was recently watching a biography of Benjamin Franklin, who had only 2 years of formal education. The narrator said that without formal education, Franklin missed out on being told what was important and what could be discarded as unimportant. So instead he just learned everything, and as a result he was incredibly prolific in his scientific inquiries and inventions.
This is really beautifully written. While I agree with Charlotte Johnson's comment that it is difficult to square the societal insanity that is gender ideology (or whatever we want to call the many theories that have our daughters and sons rejecting their healthy bodies and pretending to be the opposite sex in fear that, if they don't, they will die) with any of Jung's archetypes, your explanation of how society's madness is a failure to properly grasp our shadow selves - or accept our Gods/archetypes - resonates.
Society has lost its way, and we have to find our way back. I think the journey back will take many forms. Some of us will fight for information to be freely given (again exposing shadow selves), some (I put you in this category) will fight to maintain sanity in insane times and not be consumed by the dark shadows of others being projected onto them. Some of us will present reality and hope others can receive it. We'll all have to work together to get past a very weird time.
In the meantime, your Jungian analysis can be a helpful reminder that our children must grapple with their own shadow selves, even in the oddest of circumstances. We can't just make society all better, and we can't ask our kids to simply ignore everything around them. We have to hope our kids will follow our own example and find the good in all of this. (Of course you put it much more poetically and concisely!)
I always appreciate your insights. I have to say that I have zero difficulty recognizing the play of the archetypes in gender ideology, nor do I find it surprising we find ourselves here. I think this new worldview is born out of society's madness, and I've shifted my thoughts a bit on whether society has lost its way--I think we're moving toward something; that we always are. I understand the drive to take down gender ideology, but in our current state (of madness? of wrong relationship to our demons?) I suspect it will just be replaced with some other way to hide from or shield ourselves against the mad demands of the time, or numb the pain, or avoid our shadow work.
I used to pine for a way to "find our way back," but then I thought: back to what? And I've come to believe there's no such thing. Humanity is iterating and that only goes in one direction, into something new (and hopefully better.) I think the current structures are crumbling, and as I sort of mentioned in my response to Ex-woke Mom, my plan is to maximize (and model) my own adaptive mechanism (which includes acceptance, surrender, and trust) and buckle up for the ride. Maybe I'll be around to contribute to what gets built on the other side. And if in the meantime, I can help others illuminate what's in their shadow (I think we're all guilty of projection) maybe I can contribute to the possibility that it will indeed be something better.
"The obstacle is the way." 😘
Well, there are many theories and angles as to where and who gave birth to this insane ideology that people can be born in the wrong body and through hormones and surgeries, can actually become the opposite sex. I'm sure Jung could tease out some basic origins from early pain and/or trauma in individuals.
Also, there were some pretty bad actors,
(doctors actually, I.e. John Money) back in the day who sought notoriety for their brave new thinking. Also have to consider the autogynephiles who are desperate to have us see their fetishized existence as normal human behavior.
The wholesale marketing of this ideology on young people in particular, and society at large is a whole another storv. First, it could
never have happened without the internet and the unfettered access available to young people and children. And there's the pornography angle that young minds are not equipped to handle, including cartoon porn.
$$ there.
Anime, cosplay-Big $$ there. Harmless you say? Do a little digging.
Want to know what a lifelong medical patient
is worth to big pharma and the medical profession? A LOT!
Selling a new body is a highly lucrative business.
There are many forces that have formed the narrative we are now being fed as a society.
*Children "just know" what their true gender is.
*Gender Affirming Care is lifesaving care.
*Children may commit suicide if denied this
'care'.
*Parents who question their children about this are not safe.
*Schools who suspect non-affirming parents must protect their children from them.
*Our President has called non-affirming parents 'cruel'.
*Gay rights and abortion rights and civil rights are now inextricably tied to transgender rights.
*The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society and the AMA at large all support gender affirming care. $$$$
*And, don't forget the Trans Activists who demand that we deny what our eyes can see.
The trans narrative rules.
Here's a great current example:
There is an initiative being proposed for the November ballot in California.
Protectkidsca.com
This initiative would give California voters the opportunity to vote on 3 things:
*Prohibit biological males from competing in women's competitive sports.
*Compel schools to notify parents if a child asks to socially transition to another gender at school.
*Prohibit the alteration of a minor child's body with hormones or surgery.
California attorney general Rob Bonita has the authority to title this initiative as it will appear on the November ballot.
Here is how he has titled this initiative:
RESTRICTS THE RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER YOUTH.
We restrict a lot of things from our youth, for very good reasons, but apparently giving minor children the authority to make lifelong irreversible decisions about their bodies is compassionate, kind, and "the right thing to do".
So..... those are the 'self's' as I see it.
I'm curious, though, what you think makes a self selfish? What drives someone like John Money to seek notoriety? And what kind of deep pain creates autogynephilia? (Btw, I don't think any of it is harmless and am deeply concerned that so many could come to believe the answer to our psychological pain is high-risk, custom body modification.)
As I read your description, it would indeed seem like a formidable task to rid the world of this evil. When I set about to make sense of what was happening in the world, I saw the same things you describe and it was incredibly destabilizing, crushing even. I also realized that the "other side" sees the gender critical and those who would take away the care they believe to be life-saving as just as evil. They used the same language and tactics, and were also rallying to rid the world of the harm they saw being perpetrated on the world. They're just as passionate as you are, Charlotte. I will say what concerns me most about any of this is the way we dehumanize each other.
I don't see '“Unconscious psychic contents” vs evil medical scandal robbing vulnerable, unhappy, confused youth of their mental and physical health for a self serving ideology.' I see unconscious psychic contents vs unconscious psychic contents. I've chosen to put my energy toward creating conditions that will lead to our youth being less unhappy and confused and therefore less vulnerable to the marketing messages of transhumanism. I'm making a very conscious choice to use my voice, my gifts, and my platform to do the work that aligns with my values and that I believe is most likely to contribute to the more compassionate world I imagine is possible.