THE FATE OF AMERICA
Presented by
Michael Gellert, M.A., L.C.S.W.
February 15, 2002
The events of September 11 and the current war on terrorism have focused our attention on America’s future in a renewed and pressing way. Given our extroverted orientation, much of our focus is on the “other,” on the enemy outside of us. However, our domestic andinternalspiritual condition is also in need of serious attention, and is inextricably linked with our foreign policy. The same psychological attitudes influence both domestic and international, inner and outer spheres. As Jung concluded in 1930, the central, archetypal force shaping American attitudes is a powerful “Heroic Ideal” or aspiration toward greatness. Today, this heroic ideal is in a state of upheaval. We are suffering, albeit unconsciously, from a heroic-identity crisis. What does it mean to be a heroic or great people? It is imperative to our future as a nation and to civilization that we begin to examine this and to understand ourselves. In this talk, the author will discuss his new book,The Fate of America: An Inquiry into National character, and its implications for the war on terrorism. The evening will conclude with a book signing.
Michael Gellert, M.A., L.C.S.W.is Director of Training at the C.G.Jung Institute of LosAngeles and a Jungian analyst in private practice in Santa Monica. He works with individuals, families, and couples, and offers a Jungian writing workshop. His previous book isModern Mysticism: Jung, Zen and the Still Good Hand of God.