Only the shadow knows

This old line from a radio show is most appropriate for all of us today. In previous articles, I described the shadow as the opposite of the ego (a person's identity); that is, the opposite of one's personal beliefs about oneself. Although possible, the shadow seldom includes positive values. So, if you believe you are good a person, your shadow is probably just the opposite.

Given the events at the Capitol building on Jan. 6th, we can easily see how harmful the shadow can be. For those of us who need a practical experience or observation to truly understand something, then this event can clearly teach us about the shadow.

Each person in the group of rioters displayed their shadow, but another psychological element was also present, the collective shadow. A collective has been labeled group think and herd mentality, but the collective shadow has been called evil. Just as individual drops of water eventually accumulate to form something greater than each drop, that is a puddle or pool of water, the collective shadow forms from an accumulation of individual shadows. The collective shadow, however, expresses a new life form, bigger and more destructive than individual shadows.

Video images, reports and quotes from individuals, who stormed the Capitol building, portray people acting-out their shadows. Their words and intentions were aggressive, as one might expect, which is certainly something we do not want to encounter in life, but the collective shadow was also present. It forms a dark, uncontrollable force, which moves through and among a collective. The dark collective force energized the rioters who then acted in unison like the flight of a flock of birds.

If civility and humanity are to exist, it is necessary that we never allow the shadow to dominate our personalities. This means that we must understand our shadows, getting to know our potential capabilities, without surrendering to the shadow's power. This is even more critical at the collective level. When the collective shadow is active, someone must come forth and attempt to diffuse this collective force. We saw this in a small way, during the Jan. 6 riot, when a man said to the collective group: "This is not who we are." He managed to diffuse the collective shadow long enough to enable several reporters to leave the event unharmed.

It's true that "only the shadow knows" what it is capable of, but we must become aware (conscious) of its capabilities to remain responsible and conscientious, and to avoid atrocities such as the Jan. 6 riot.