wahyurestuningrum

He; Understanding Masculine Psychology, deconstructs the myth of Parsifal's search for the Holy Grail, and applies it to a man's search for meaning in modern society. The myth itself is worth knowing, if it has not already been consumed in its original form, and this is a suitable vehicle to pin down its basics. Author Johnson's use of Jungian pyschology posits the basic conclusion that just as Parsifal ultimately finds meaning by sacrificing for the King instead of focusing on his own needs, a modern man finds meaning by sacrificing for his higher self rather than has more basal materialistic desires. Two compelling ideas arise from this book, one belongs to the author, the other is my personal (though not uncommon) observation. First, Johnson makes a distinction between a feeling and a mood. A feeling is a true reaction to outside stimulus. A mood is the stirring of emotion based on one's internal sentiment. A feeling is real and purposeful. A mood is a self-made construction and thus has no basis in external reality. A mood is the representation of the anima in man, it serves to impede his musculine drive, and ultimately is an obstruction to all advancement. Moods are not real, and yet I know from personal experience, they are all too easy to get stuck in. But the more compelling idea that strikes me in reading this very brief book, is the universiality of myth in our lives. It is the luxury of being a writer that we spend our days applying mythic structure to our characters' lives, and through that effort combined with the gentle prodding of Johnson's analysis, it becomes almost reflexive that we beging to acknowledge the mythic structure in our own lives. This is a profound gift, as it perhaps describes one's future more clearly than could ever be discerned by other means.

2020-12-26 09:13