The Enemy is Me

Here is one of my favorite quotes from Carl Jung:

The acceptance of oneself is the essence of the whole moral problem and the epitome of a whole outlook on life. That I feed the hungry, that I forgive an insult, that I love my enemy in the name of Christ -- all these are undoubtedly great virtues. What I do unto the least of my brethren, that I do unto Christ. But what if I should discover that the least among them all, the poorest of all the beggars, the most impudent of all the offenders, the very enemy himself -- that these are within me, and that I myself stand in need of the alms of my own kindness -- that I myself am the enemy who must be loved -- what then? As a rule, the Christian's attitude is then reversed; there is no longer any question of love or long-suffering; we say to the brother within us "Raca," and condemn and rage against ourselves. We hide it from the world; we refuse to admit ever having met this least among the lowly in ourselves.

In group therapy, we are constantly confronted with personality traits that we don’t like in other people. The opportunity is to keep turning it around as well. How is this also in me?

This doesn’t mean not honoring our emotional reaction to others. You can’t skip steps. The frustration, anger, desire to avoid, etc. that comes up is as important for us to share as it is for our fellow group member to hear. After all, this is likely what the people in their life are feeling around them too but not saying.

But the deeper invitation is to enlarge our awareness of our own inner pantheon. To see in every interaction another aspect of ourselves.