"Memories, Dreams, Reflections" -- Commentary #2
In the Prologue, Jung describes succinctly his philosophy of relativity:
"...I have now undertaken, in my eighty-third year, to tell my personal myth. I can only make direct statements, only 'tell stories.' Whether or not the stories are 'true' is not the problem. The only question is whether what I tell is my fable, my truth."
To believe that "my truth" is different from "the truth" is to believe that truth is relative to the observer -- a belief I certainly share but which is abhorrent to those who say they believe in absolute, objective truth.
I believe that even people who say (and believe) that they believe in objective truth actually believe in relative truth and either don't know it or don't care to see it. For example, there are many religious people who would say that the Ten Commandments express absolute truths. But each of us breaks the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" every day. We kill microorganisms when we brush our teeth, take antacids, clean the refrigerator. We kill insects when we walk down the sidewalk or drive a car. Just to eat we have to kill sometihng -- a carrot is no longer alive once it's picked, so being a vegetarian or a vegan won't save you from killing.
I know I've used better examples to illustrate this point; I'll see if I can come up with a better one.
"...I have now undertaken, in my eighty-third year, to tell my personal myth. I can only make direct statements, only 'tell stories.' Whether or not the stories are 'true' is not the problem. The only question is whether what I tell is my fable, my truth."
To believe that "my truth" is different from "the truth" is to believe that truth is relative to the observer -- a belief I certainly share but which is abhorrent to those who say they believe in absolute, objective truth.
I believe that even people who say (and believe) that they believe in objective truth actually believe in relative truth and either don't know it or don't care to see it. For example, there are many religious people who would say that the Ten Commandments express absolute truths. But each of us breaks the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" every day. We kill microorganisms when we brush our teeth, take antacids, clean the refrigerator. We kill insects when we walk down the sidewalk or drive a car. Just to eat we have to kill sometihng -- a carrot is no longer alive once it's picked, so being a vegetarian or a vegan won't save you from killing.
I know I've used better examples to illustrate this point; I'll see if I can come up with a better one.


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