The Shadow | Why We’re More Evil Than We Think
It seems like in current society we are excessively concerned with our self-image. But, even though we might think we’ve figured ourselves out, is this really the case? Or are we just showing the world - and ourselves - a mere reflection of who we truly are? Could it be that we are repressing certain parts of ourselves and that below the surface there hides a monster that might awaken someday?
First of all, thank you Joe for your PayPal donation. And thank you Edward, Sai Sai and Alexander for supporting me on Patreon. I appreciate very much and it helps me to continue this project. Now, let’s dive in.
No matter where we go, we constantly define and redefine who we really are, and at the same time we judge other people’s behaviors. In society, we are expected to behave in certain ways that are socially acceptable. How many codes of conduct and systems of ethics do we have as a society, in workplaces, at home, in nightlife, in a restaurant, at dinner parties, et cetera? The consequence is that we wear a number of masks. These are sets of behaviors as well as beliefs about ourselves and how we relate to the world. Such a mask is called the persona; which is where the word ‘person’ comes from.
A problem with the persona is that many people present themselves in certain ways while keeping many undesirable traits hidden in the dark places of their minds. This happens consciously as well as unconsciously. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung called these dark places the shadow. What’s so tragic about the shadow is that many people don’t really know that they have it. Especially those with a very strong attachment to their persona, who believe that they are their persona and that there possibly cannot be something else about them lurking in the dark.
Yes, they might experience some thoughts and desires that are quite inconvenient, so they quickly repress them. But the more they do, the larger and uglier the shadow becomes. I quote Jung: "Unfortunately, there can be no doubt that man is, on the whole, less good than he imagines himself or wants to be. Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is." End quote.
An example of this is the abuse scandals within religious or spiritual communities. Certain positions, like those of a priest, monk, holy man, and so on, often require behavior that is contra-natural to their own, along with the social expectation that they behave in certain ways that are, you know, ‘holy’. Many walk this path successfully, but there are some who haven’t been able to integrate their undesirable traits.
After a while, these bubbles of repressed desires start to burst, and the shadow that they’ve repressed for years or even decades comes to the surface. And not in a friendly way. People with dense shadows are often extremely judgmental. They repress their flaws, and are often quick to judge others for exactly those flaws. In reality, they see in others what they try to hide themselves. By projecting our own darkness onto others, we at least don’t have to look into the abyss of our own minds.
But the mere agitation of seeing our own dark sides in other people is a sign that we might have work to do. Even though we ought to behave as decent citizens, that smile at the neighbors, go to work, and abide by the societal rules; somewhere deep inside, there lurks an immense capacity for evil. World War II is a great example of how innocent, regular people can turn into bloodthirsty killers. Because of a series of unfortunate events, a monster arose from the German collective unconsciousness and mustered its forces.
Its malice awakened other shadows all over the world, that has led to one of the largest massacres in the history of mankind. As Jung stated: "The change of character brought about by the uprush of collective forces is amazing. A gentle and reasonable being can be transformed into a maniac or a savage beast. One is always inclined to lay the blame on external circumstances, but nothing could explode in us if it had not been ..."