Crisis, Deep Meaning and the Need for Change

I have failed in my foremost task – to open people’s eyes to the fact that man has a soul, there is a buried treasure in the field, and that our religion and philosophy are in a lamentable state. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, towards the end of his life (quoted in Ross, 1993, p. 126). One day, when I was about eight years old, my school principal Mr Suley got up on the morning assembly and spoke from the heart. Now, more than 30 years later, I cannot remember all the details. What I do remember though, was his tone of deep concern. He spoke about war, the environment, cooperation, and simply what it means to be a decent human being. And I will never forget what he said at the end of it all. “You are the future of this world. My generation has already had a go and we messed it up. You must do better, or we will not be here much longer.” Of all the things anybody ever said in my schooling days, this was probably the most impactful. Here he was, an older man approaching retirement, and he decide