3 Regrettably Relevant Quotes from The Undiscovered Self by Carl Jung
And Why They Predict Our Modern Collapse
Hi, I’m an existential imbecile named Max Murphy. Here on The Murphy Memos we explore the absurdity of existence.
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Hello, and welcome to the first edition of Murphy in the Margins! This is where you’ll find quotes, commentary, and half-witted quips about books.
Today, we’re exploring The Undiscovered Self by Carl Jung (read the full book here for free).
“A million zeroes joined together do not, unfortunately, add up to one.”
No matter how many broken fragments of individuals you cram into a movement—if they’ve lost their sense of self—the sum is still, sadly, zero.
This is particularly relevant in the age of hashtag activism. Entire “movements” have swallowed news cycles whole, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared.
This is not to say collectivism does not matter. It does. Always has, and always will. But the most important part of the collective is the individuals within. If the collective is made up of chronically online, mentally unstable outcasts… the “movement” is doomed to fail.
“Free opinion is stifled and moral decision ruthlessly suppressed, on the plea that the end justifies the means, even the vilest. The policy of the State is exalted to a creed, the leader or party boss becomes a demigod beyond good and evil, and his votaries are honored as heroes, martyrs, apostles, missionaries. There is only one truth and beside it no other. It is sacrosanct and above criticism. Anyone who thinks differently is a heretic, who, as we know from history, is threatened with all manner of unpleasant things. Only the party boss, who holds the political power in his hands, can interpret the State doctrine authentically, and he does so just as suits him.”
Yikes.
Big yikes.
When politics replaces religion, disagreement becomes heresy, and we all know what happens to heretics, right?
“The rupture between faith and knowledge is a symptom of the split consciousness which is so characteristic of the mental disorder of our day.”
Modernity is wild. We’re evolved to make sense of the world around us through stories, but objective reality refuses to cooperate.
Instead of harmonizing these two aspects of our selves, we’re weaponizing them against each other.
Today, society can broadly be defined by those with a relationship to reality… and those who do not. If you’re reading this, congrats: you probably have a relationship with reality.
We’re fractured. Severed. A self divided against itself, struggling to stand in a tidal-wave of Liquid Modernity.
As my favorite poet Emily Dickinson put it:
I felt a Cleaving in my Mind—As if my Brain had split—I tried to match it—Seam by Seam—But could not make it fit.
Is a severed self a mental disorder?
Well, judging by the painful relatability from the hit TV show Severance… maybe. Speaking of which, I’m planning to do a deeeep dive on Severance over on YouTube. So if you’d be interested in that, be sure to subscribe!
And finally, here is a totally real picture of me chilling with Uncle Carl.
I appreciate the VW on your wall, as well as Carl Jung, Emily Dickinson, and quite a few of the books on your shelf.
I hadn't heard of Severance, but I googled it and will attempt to watch it. TV puts me to sleep or chases me off if it's too violent. Many of my nightmares stem from my previous jobs, where I watched people suffer and sometimes die as hospitals and insurance companies profited. I imagine my shadow self would scream from the corners despite any brain chips. I can not even imagine how military people suffer through their sorrows.
Governments are powerful bullies who fight until the worst rises to the top. Collapse is inevitable.