I'm a few pages away from finishing Deirdre Bair's amazing
biography of C.G. Jung. I was absolutely fascinated all the way through. Jung
was one of those incredible people who are somehow able to intuitively grasp
truth. Perhaps this is one way to think about the people we call geniuses. It's
really hard to understand, for example, how Einstein came up with his ideas
about the universe. I mean, how does a person even get started thinking about
relativity? Jung was like that, but what he saw was the mysterious human psyche.
I was saddened to find that Jung's insights did
not lead him to a peaceful inner life, nor did they enable him to have good
relationships. He was a terrible father and, according to the ways most people
think about marriage, an equally terrible husband. The cult-like gathering of
his disciples was rather frightening. He had a strange way of attracting rich
women who pretty much gave their lives to furthering his philosophy/psychology.
Jung's activities during WWII were surprising.
He secretly worked against Nazi Germany, but was branded a Nazi by many people
for the rest of his life. Bair certainly doesn't take a romantic view of Carl
Jung, so I trust her conclusion that Jung was innocent and misjudged in this
matter.
I've read "Memories,
Dreams, Reflections," which is said to be his autobiography. Reading that was an
important step in my own development, so I was saddened to find that Bair's research casts
serious doubt on its
validity. The publication of MDR was an unbelievable circus with numerous people
fighting over the rights to it. At the same time, it is very unclear what parts
of the "autobiography" are from Jung and what parts came from his manipulative
editors and Jung's children, who fought hard to "clean up" his language and
create an image that fit their idea of polite society. So, if you read
"Memories, Dreams, Reflections," do so with some healthy skepticism.
But the biography was a great read. Apparently Ms. Bair
had greater access to Jung's heirs and materials than anyone before. If you have
any interest in Jung, you really have to read this.
Click either image to purchase from Viva.
They keep these in stock, of course. Support independent bookstores!
rlp
