The current disclosure of the airport bathroom arrest of another anti-gay politician reminds me of the old trite statement. "The Bigger the Front the Bigger the Back." It is a good time to review what Professor Jung taught us about the SHADOOOOOOOW. (These thoughts are not restricted to just anti-gay politicians or any political party.)

Jung was quoted as saying that everything in the unconscious is the shadow. But more specifically it is the part of ourselves that we don't see clearly or that we are in denial about. And much of the anger that we project onto the world is a cover up of exactly that part of ourselves. Here is a simple example: A male partner is in a rage over suspicion that his partner is cheating on the relationship. The rage, (the front) becomes the story. But the real story is that it is often the jealous person who has a personal problem being honest in relationships (the back). The jealous person is unconscioiusly engaged in denying his or her own truth. He/she is untrue so he/she unconciously assumes that their partner is lying.

All politicians are not immune from this malady and they have bigger pulpits to speak from. So smile (even if it hurts) with an all knowing understanding when you hear an anti-gay or anti-immigrant or anti-anything person spout off their obvious prejudices. Smile, even if the hatred in cloaked in beautiful justifications like Holy Scriptures. Because you now know the truth! The anti-gay person is hiding a secret part of himself or herself that they don 't want revealed. Similarly the anti-immigrant is covering up fears that they have not identified within themselves. Of course one can argue that it is not the shadow but just political expediency but then only the shadow would know for sure. And in my experience the shadow is very cleaver.

Smiling into the face of shadow serves two purposes. The first is that we understand the game that is at play and therefore can think creatively about what responses we can make. It is important not to be pulled into the shadow and respond from our own shadows as the shadow loves competition in this arena. The self-righteousness is very energizing but not very productive. The second purpose is educating yourself about how projections control our everyday life. Every thought we have about another person is a playing out of the shadow in ourselves. It is our life's programming. Seeing it at work in others is an important training for our own journey to greater consciousness. It also helps us feel some compassion for the shame that that anti-gay politician must be feeling this morning.

It is the way that we make both the front and the back smaller but far more significant. It is one of the ways that we can learn to be Present for the Future. So find some reasons to smile today. The future depends on it.

For The GrandChildren
Victor Bremson
August 28, 2007