Posts
Today
was the most important learning moment for me so far. It might be the most important learning
moment for me for 2013. This happened during Wendy’s demo when the issue arose
of whether or not universal themes exist. I mentioned Jung’s collective unconscious and universal archetypes. Lil really problematized this for me, saying
that there really are not any universal themes, and what is more, Jung just ain’t
all that anymore (and has not been for decades).
This
made me stop and think about my knowledge base.
Mentioning Jung was pulling on a knowledge reservoir from my college
days (circa 1978-1982). That’s a long
time ago. What new knowledge have I
added to this reservoir? None. Yet I am
pulling on this like it’s topical and relevant and – most importantly –
unquestioned. What else am I failing to
question?
We have to constantly interrogate what we know, what we think we know, what we believe, what we think we believe, and WHY. Do I believe this because someone I respect said it? Is that enough of a reason to believe it? How do I take in knowledge and beliefs, turn them inside out and wring them out to squeeze out those underlying assumptions? What is informing what I believe and know???
I couldn't agree with you more. I still believe there are universal themes--which does not imply the theme is the exact thing in every culture but merely that it exists (in some form) in every culture.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Wendy. I really do need to question my beliefs and knowledge. That was a good lesson for me to learn.
ReplyDeleteTell me about it! I felt this way so many times during this SI process and it feels so uncomfortable! How can grammar not be important? Why is language so personal to others? How can there be no bad writers? The most difficult idea, though, is the fact that there may never be answers for me. This very thought unsettles me because we sometimes need to have some clearly defined lines in order to feel more comfortable in our skins. Mercy! As your wise friend once said, "My brain is full!"
ReplyDelete