Episode 92: James Hollis - A Life of Meaning

James Hollis is a Jungian psychoanalyst and the author of many books, including his latest: "A Life of Meaning," which is the primary subject of our conversation. During our conversation, Jim talks about some of the major themes in his work and his book: the shadow, the numinous, psychopathology, lethargy, and fear.

Jim is one of my favorite writers and thinkers, and I reference him as much as anyone. This conversation is full of some of my favorite ideas and quotes, including this first one from his new book:

"Probably the wisest thing ever said about the shadow was uttered by the Roman African playwright Terence, who, a little over two thousand years ago, said, 'Nothing human is alien to me.'”

And the second from the writings of Carl Jung:

"The spirit of evil is negation of the life force by fear. Only boldness can deliver us from fear. If the risk is not taken, the meaning of life is violated."

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
01:05 Why Jim wrote "A Life of Meaning"
05:28 The shadow
08:38 Why confront one's shadow?
10:48 The numinous and finding your calling
25:20 Lethargy is a threat to living
29:55 A modern culture of distraction
32:28 Jim's decision to become a public educator
37:02 Jim's growth beyond his family of origin
44:30 Psychopathology
48:26 Sin: missing the mark
55:15 Fear - the spirit of evil is negation of the life force by fear
58:50 Jim is a "recovering nice person"

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