We are raised in a culture of radical individualism and you-do-you self-fulfillment. We are told we can do anything, become anyone. The same applies to our philosophies.
Narcissus is a traditional image/metaphor of the separate individual. Narcissus at the pond is not only a metaphor for the separative ego itself , but it is also a specific metaphorical reference to the characteristic human preoccupation of staring at the mind. The image in the pond is the mind, and the solitary or separative activity of avoiding relationship, which is the seed-activity that leads to the breakdown of the whole or the totality, including the human collective.
As a result the world becomes a mad gathering of egos, preoccupied with separateness, with self-concern, with separative impulses, desires, and intentions (many of which are self-destructive) and with every kind of search for both self-fulfillment and release. The ego-principle of universalized separateness and separativeness, is, to the social domain of humankind what cancer is to the individual body. Uncontrolled division is the destructive opposite of wholeness or indivisibility, whether of the individual or of the collective
I believe Caroline Myss described the journey of human evolution to a higher level of consciousness as having to negotiate the "narcissistic phase".
What has happened is that many remain stuck in that phase. Stuck, because it is the most self gratifying stage in life. It requires little agency apart from the manipulation of others and is all about self.
True enough. But the difficult evolutionary process can not in any sense be activated by any kind of naive idealism or an act of will.
In fact the left-brained thinking mind or McGilchist's Emissary actively prevents or shuts down even the possibility of the evolutionary process in both the individual human being and of humankind as a collective.
Unfortunately, it seems to me that, while people may be staring at their minds, they aren't examining their contents. It's more, hmm, like admiring their own minds, perhaps?
I'd like to thank and congratulate you. Personally these recent pieces are very pertinent and useful for thinking about major life problems with implications also for my views about social and political issues.
Maybe a crisis of agency, for some approaching or reaching a collapse of agency, is far more common than most of us are aware, as the webs which held together and sustained collective and thus individual lives of meaning have reached such a point of disintegration that we struggle with the how and the why.
Thanks for this wonderful article Jessica. Your writing deeply resonates with me and also challenges me to think about my own work differently.
I really like the idea of thinking of our selves relationally as opposed to atomistically. Personally, I have given myself a lot of grief for the reasons you explain -- putting the burden and blame on myself for my shortcomings and lack of growth.
I am curious what you think about Nietzsche's idea of becoming "what one is". He seems to think that there is a sense in which self-development is more like actualizing your true self or realizing your destiny, as it is embedded in a culture, rather than reinventing yourself in a completely untehtered Sartrean sense.
I highlighted that passage, #7 in the list at the end, in my restack because I often struggle to slow down. I'm autistic and, while don't have ADHD, I had the H, the hyperactiveness, in spades. I'm a voracious reader, and I know I should take some time between books to consider what I've read, to sit with it for a bit, but... I don't.
I did spend a little time thinking about a new name for your blog, but never got beyond terrible portmanteaus like 'wild:philealth.' Ha.
Agree 100% as someone in long-term recovery. The 12 steps are way of life, principles I live by, not a self improvement program and they are a philosophy that I live rather than talk about. One of the principles, the 11th involves seeking an ongoing process of seeking which you discuss here -it is the effort that matters. It all lies in the tension of ambiguity, doesn’t it? The ongoing practice.
I recently concluded that my agency regarding how to live my life has been severely hindered by the large number of choices, the fear of making the wrong choice, and the feeling that, intellectually, I wasn’t capable of making the choice. I spent lots of time looking for the perfect fit and trying these different philosophies intellectually, but I mostly didn't live them.
I avoided the most important part of the exercise: experimenting, striving, and learning from life.
Thanks for sharing Jessica - this was yet another deeply resonating piece.
It is interesting how you deconstruct the concept of agency into the context of bridging the gaps within it. Another way one could frame the gap between a)making a choice and b)acting on it is through the ‘Intention-Action Gap’. I can see how you might categorise the example you gave (wanting to live a regenerative lifestyle) as making a choice, although through another lens this isn’t really a choice, instead an intention of an individual. Then, the choice they make is, in most cases, an explicit action or inaction.
Studies on intention-action gap show that certain lack of self-control, which does relate to willpower, is one of the cause of why people fail to embody the change they talk about/intend to make. Another factor is also the inability to fully confront and break free from our harmful impulses, which requires honesty and courage. So, I would add another bullet about not being ignorant and having the courage to look at ourselves honestly, to your 7 steps on embodying the spaces between no agency-full agency or bridging the intention-action gap 🧘🏻
If embodying the generative space between the perception/possession of no agency and full agency, perhaps we may stop on the intention-acrion bridge and fishing with a friend and enjoying the view and a conversation, the birds above, the breezes running through and the boats passing beneath.
I have written a few times about our innate limitations and about how “self identification” fails. This always causes a big negative reaction from certain predictable quarters. A chorus of “You are just arguing for your limitations”!
Yes, we are all limited in various ways. Thanks for the analysis.
Narcissus is a traditional image/metaphor of the separate individual. Narcissus at the pond is not only a metaphor for the separative ego itself , but it is also a specific metaphorical reference to the characteristic human preoccupation of staring at the mind. The image in the pond is the mind, and the solitary or separative activity of avoiding relationship, which is the seed-activity that leads to the breakdown of the whole or the totality, including the human collective.
As a result the world becomes a mad gathering of egos, preoccupied with separateness, with self-concern, with separative impulses, desires, and intentions (many of which are self-destructive) and with every kind of search for both self-fulfillment and release. The ego-principle of universalized separateness and separativeness, is, to the social domain of humankind what cancer is to the individual body. Uncontrolled division is the destructive opposite of wholeness or indivisibility, whether of the individual or of the collective
I believe Caroline Myss described the journey of human evolution to a higher level of consciousness as having to negotiate the "narcissistic phase".
What has happened is that many remain stuck in that phase. Stuck, because it is the most self gratifying stage in life. It requires little agency apart from the manipulation of others and is all about self.
True enough. But the difficult evolutionary process can not in any sense be activated by any kind of naive idealism or an act of will.
In fact the left-brained thinking mind or McGilchist's Emissary actively prevents or shuts down even the possibility of the evolutionary process in both the individual human being and of humankind as a collective.
Thanks for the tip Jules - this resonates a lot.
Unfortunately, it seems to me that, while people may be staring at their minds, they aren't examining their contents. It's more, hmm, like admiring their own minds, perhaps?
I'd like to thank and congratulate you. Personally these recent pieces are very pertinent and useful for thinking about major life problems with implications also for my views about social and political issues.
Maybe a crisis of agency, for some approaching or reaching a collapse of agency, is far more common than most of us are aware, as the webs which held together and sustained collective and thus individual lives of meaning have reached such a point of disintegration that we struggle with the how and the why.
Thank you for the kind words, Neil. That makes my day.
And that's a very good point. I will research if I can find some studies on this....
Vielen Danke Jessica. 🙏
The warden shows us the way:https://synnthesis.substack.com/p/synthesis-garden-warden-ai
Thanks James, this looks super interesting.
Who are my friends?
https://johnstokdijk538.substack.com/p/who-are-my-friends
Thanks for this wonderful article Jessica. Your writing deeply resonates with me and also challenges me to think about my own work differently.
I really like the idea of thinking of our selves relationally as opposed to atomistically. Personally, I have given myself a lot of grief for the reasons you explain -- putting the burden and blame on myself for my shortcomings and lack of growth.
I am curious what you think about Nietzsche's idea of becoming "what one is". He seems to think that there is a sense in which self-development is more like actualizing your true self or realizing your destiny, as it is embedded in a culture, rather than reinventing yourself in a completely untehtered Sartrean sense.
I love that question - I’ve been sitting with it the past day and unfortunately I don’t have a prompt answer yet. I have written before to something similar (towards the end): https://jessicaboehme.substack.com/p/finding-the-soul-in-sustainability?utm_source=publication-search
I highlighted that passage, #7 in the list at the end, in my restack because I often struggle to slow down. I'm autistic and, while don't have ADHD, I had the H, the hyperactiveness, in spades. I'm a voracious reader, and I know I should take some time between books to consider what I've read, to sit with it for a bit, but... I don't.
I did spend a little time thinking about a new name for your blog, but never got beyond terrible portmanteaus like 'wild:philealth.' Ha.
Ha, thanks Cary. I get that with the reading - same here.
And thank you so much for thinking with me about the name…
I’ll give it some more thought. Certainly it deserves better than ‘philealth,’ which sounds like some noise a person being sick might make!
wild:philealth ☺️
Agree 100% as someone in long-term recovery. The 12 steps are way of life, principles I live by, not a self improvement program and they are a philosophy that I live rather than talk about. One of the principles, the 11th involves seeking an ongoing process of seeking which you discuss here -it is the effort that matters. It all lies in the tension of ambiguity, doesn’t it? The ongoing practice.
Thanks Kelly! And thanks for bringing the 12 steps into this line of thinking.
I recently concluded that my agency regarding how to live my life has been severely hindered by the large number of choices, the fear of making the wrong choice, and the feeling that, intellectually, I wasn’t capable of making the choice. I spent lots of time looking for the perfect fit and trying these different philosophies intellectually, but I mostly didn't live them.
I avoided the most important part of the exercise: experimenting, striving, and learning from life.
I can totally relate to that.
Very nicely written and well-balanced. It certainly reflects my experience.
Thanks for sharing Jessica - this was yet another deeply resonating piece.
It is interesting how you deconstruct the concept of agency into the context of bridging the gaps within it. Another way one could frame the gap between a)making a choice and b)acting on it is through the ‘Intention-Action Gap’. I can see how you might categorise the example you gave (wanting to live a regenerative lifestyle) as making a choice, although through another lens this isn’t really a choice, instead an intention of an individual. Then, the choice they make is, in most cases, an explicit action or inaction.
Studies on intention-action gap show that certain lack of self-control, which does relate to willpower, is one of the cause of why people fail to embody the change they talk about/intend to make. Another factor is also the inability to fully confront and break free from our harmful impulses, which requires honesty and courage. So, I would add another bullet about not being ignorant and having the courage to look at ourselves honestly, to your 7 steps on embodying the spaces between no agency-full agency or bridging the intention-action gap 🧘🏻
Very good point! Thank you for that distinction Monish and for that extra point. I fully agree 🙏❤️
If embodying the generative space between the perception/possession of no agency and full agency, perhaps we may stop on the intention-acrion bridge and fishing with a friend and enjoying the view and a conversation, the birds above, the breezes running through and the boats passing beneath.
I have written a few times about our innate limitations and about how “self identification” fails. This always causes a big negative reaction from certain predictable quarters. A chorus of “You are just arguing for your limitations”!
Yes, we are all limited in various ways. Thanks for the analysis.
Thanks Annabel!
Are you a spiritual director, Jessica?
😂