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CounterPunch
February
28, 2003
Jung and the Columbia Revisited
Responses to
Symbol and Synchronicty in the Shuttle Disaster
By JERRY KROTH
Jeffrey St. clair, the co-editor of Counterpunch,
asked me to write a short piece on the incredible reaction to
my recent article on Columbia.
This short little observation tapped a groundswell of emotion.
I received 75 emails almost immediately which referenced a feeling
that the catastrophe meant something beyond itself. Many readers
felt the event was a precursor or harbinger, and most of the
replies echoed that sentiment. Within a few days the article
was posted on the Charlie Rose website. After that an underground
radio website picked it up. Where else it has been, I don't know,
but within 10 days of the disaster, over 200,000 people appear
to have read it at the Counterpunch site alone. Something was
touched in the collective consciousness of Americans--and perhaps
the collective unconscious as well. Reactions came in from the
U.S., England, Australia, New Zealand, even Israel.
Some wonderful symbolic observations
were made by readers. An Asian woman alerted me to the fact that
the disaster occurred on the first day of the Chinese New Year,
invariably a terrible omen. Mr. St. Clair generously incorporated
that into the article.
My best friend who is Jewish felt the
first draft was too emphatic in alleging that Israel's relationship
to the U.S. was leading America to disaster. He said that was
a destructive conclusion. I felt that there was so much Israeli-Iraqi-Palestinian
symbolism that this was the major thrust of the piece and a legitimate
conclusion. Together we reasoned it out that the one element
of all the synchronicities that were made which was not incorporated
into that analysis was that the Israeli astronaut was the son
of a holocaust survivor. When that fact was taken into account,
it generated another persepctive namely that it is not Israel
leading the US to ruin, but the US leading Israel to disaster
since the current US campaign in Iraq portends far greater danger
for Israel than for the U.S. With that suggestion incorporated,
the essay became more balanced, and my friend's legitimate feelings
were mollified.
One observation another reader made has
not been put into the piece as it is evolving, but I do think
it is quite interesting. They suggested that the shuttle contained
an Indian astronaut (American, but born in India) and an Israeli,
two countries which are currently at war with Islam. I think
that is an interesting comment but it hasn't placed it in the
piece.
Lastly, I was criticized for the last
few sentences in the article which, according to one reader,
weakened the argument. What I said was that perhaps these were
enormous speculations based on what others could see as 'meaningless
coincidences,' and that what perhaps needed to do was to focus
on the personal tragedy and grief rather than the collective
meaning of it all. I don't regret putting in that concept. Jungian
oracles and synchronicities are really not sitting on solid empirical
science, after all, and this was and still is a deeply personal
moment of grief for so many people. There is something sacreligious
or at least irreverant in making capricious speculations, so
I think that was an important sobering postscript to place in
the piece, and if it weakened the argument, so be it.
Jerry Kroth,
Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at Santa
Clara University. He can be reached at: anya@znet.com
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