During Carl Jung’s time, he observed the disconnection that modern humans had from the natural world. This is reflected in his works such as Modern Man in Search of a Soul and The Collective Works. The despair and emptiness that many people felt, Jung attributed to a spiritual problem. “Man cannot stand a meaningless life”. Historically, people used religion to derive meaning and purpose but with the “death of god” and a godless society on the horizon, people were lost.

Fast forward 115 years after Jung’s birth to the technological boom of the 1990s, which saw the advert World Wide Web. This not only started the Internet Revolution but also sparked a cultural transformation. Society had shed the dead weight that was mysticism and was moving to escape the clutches of formal religion. This trend was further fueled by the media, which often portrayed belief in a higher power as irrational. In this fast-moving society, why put so much emphasis and effort into something as intangible as spirituality? And Thus, the so-called void was filled with entertainment, media, pseudo-rationality, and endless distraction.

Despite moving towards a better world and a more civilized society, why did emptiness and purposelessness still prevail? Juxtapositionly, why did it prevail more than ever? Why was humankind still so lost, despite having the world at their fingertips? As societies became more industrialized, they lost touch with the myths that kept them grounded and provided an alternative and complementary source of purpose and direction in life. The waning of myth also contributed to the disconnection that people felt from their unconscious but also the “natural world”. This deepened the feeling of meaningless and lack of direction. Reconnecting with myth, according to Jung, was essential for discovering meaning, integration of the personality, individualization, and wholeness.

Jung’s thoughts on rationality and religion were complicated. He saw the necessity of rational and scientific thought but noted that one could not get the full experience of life through only a specific ridged way of thinking. That religion and mythology provided color and meaning to life and also allowed for the expansion of thought. That life was more than just the conscious and everyday world but there was also a strong unconscious component that made up the individual and their life experience. To neglect this, was to deny the other half of life.

Despite seeing the value in religion, Jung did not believe that one should follow it blindly. Jung was weary and critical of traditional religious dogma. He saw how it could potentially limit or even damage the individual. Religious practice was more than just blind belief and acceptance but rather an opportunity to engage with the material and teachings on a personal level. By understanding the various components of a religious practice, historical context, meaning behind rituals, and symbolism, the individual experienced a much more powerful psychological relief. This demonstrates the importance of experimenting and assimilating teachings to make them personal to the individual.