The vale of soul-making
The great psychologist Carl Jung spoke of “the work of the second half of life,” which is the task of spiritual & psychic transformation that is necessary for happiness after humans reach a certain age.
This fact, which it seems to be our human nature to avoid for as long as we can, strikes me as very good evidence that the whole purpose of life is for us to grow spiritually. The poetic genuis Keats put it concisely: the world, he said, is “the vale of soul-making.”
June 11th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Coming to this realization is such a freeing experience. The task of spiritual transformation is much more rewarding and long-lasting than trying to find happiness in material acquisitons, or competing with others in what our society views as achieving success.
June 12th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I agree wholeheartedly. Also, once we rcognize that the purpose of life is to spur us on to growth, which then leads to our happiness, then that means there are no truly painful events, because they’re all designed to lead to our maturation. And when we “pass,” we move on to the next level of consciousness & closeness to the God of Love!
Tell me, am I making any sense at all? I need to know!