To Be or Not To Be (on a Jury)

I am interrupting my exploration of the New Religion proposed by ChatGPT – that AI phenomenon – to reflect on my experience servicing on a jury.  I was summoned to be in a jury pool at the beginning of last week.  Dutifully i.e. not having any valid excuse not to and trekked to the Courthouse in London Ontario.  I was fortunate to be selected to serve on the jury of twelve people and two alternates in a criminal case involving a sexual assault. 

To be honest, I was somewhat ambivalent about the prospect of being selected for jury duty – I didn’t have information at that point on the nature of the trial.  I would be a bit disruptive of my life, but not seriously as I am semi-retired – as I decided that I would declare as my status if asked.  Old clergy don’t retire – they just fade away (it seems I am fading more these days).  I would have to reschedule a number of appointments but nothing major.  Also, having jury duty is a great excuse for getting out of things you are ambivalent about.  As we prospective jurors were advised, if you are able to be excused from serving that means that someone else would have to serve in your place.

Reflecting on the experience, I must say that it was truly valuable, and I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.  There is much that I could say about the experience, but I would like to focus on a few things.  It turned out the jury was both diverse and not diverse.  We had a wide range of ages – I estimated I was the oldest at 75 and the youngest was going to celebrate his twentieth birthday imminently.  The jury was comprised of six men and six women – two alternate jurors were both women, but they were dismissed before evidence was given, which I found out was the usual practice.  However, the accused was a black man and there was only one black person on the jury.  As the judge noted after the trial ended, that was a reflection on the reality of London and probably would have been different in Toronto. 

The jury received a primer on trial law which was very informative and helpful.  We were informed, among other things, that we had to judge the guilt or innocence of the accused strictly on the evidence and not on such things as opening and closing statements.  We were also advised and required to swear that we would put aside – to the best of our ability – any conscious biases we had as well as make every effort to identify and put aside any unconscious biases that we become aware of in the course of the trial and jury deliberations.  As it turned out we did not have to deliberate as a plea bargain was reached after four days and we were dismissed without having to render a verdict.  I am sure that doing so would have been a most interesting process and a very worthwhile experience as well.

Given my interest in the part that the unconscious plays in the life of people, I was most interested in the direction that we should make every effort to identify and put aside any conscious and unconscious biases.  I was very pleased to see the emphasis placed on this by the judge – who I was very impressed with throughout the trial.  However, I am also aware that to actually be able to identify and deal with the part the unconscious plays in our motive and actions is a very challenging thing.  I don’t know how this could be handled in a better way in the judicial process than it was.  For instance, I can’t see the jurors engaging in dream analysis during the trial process or practicing active imagination.   Most people are unaware of the role that unconscious energy plays in their waking lives.  It would be interesting to do a study on dreams of jurors both during and after the experience of service on a jury.

That is about all I want to explore - at least this time.   May you be blessed to have a positive encounter with the legal system on your journey.

Me and My Shadow

 Are you and your shadow strolling down the avenue as the lyric to the song proclaims?  It seems to me that the shadow or perhaps shadows in the world today is growing to lengths we haven’t seen for many years – perhaps since the rise in Naziism pre–World War 2.  But then again perhaps it is just that the shadow is more visible today because of social media and the instant news (real or not) available on every corner of the internet.

First, let’s be clear about what I am talking about when I speak of the shadow.  I am using the concept developed by Carl Jung.  Jung identified that everyone has parts of themselves which they are not aware of.  These can be aspect or characteristics which are unacceptable to them, that is the dark shadow and also aspects which as positive, but we do not recognize in ourselves, that is the bright shadow.   Here is one succinct description of the shadow which you may find helpful from :

Carl Jung, a renowned Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, called this the “shadow self.” According to Jung, the shadow is the dark, unconscious side of our personality that we often repress or deny. Jung believed that the shadow self is not inherently negative or evil but a natural and necessary part of human nature.  https://medium.com/personal-growth/beware-of-the-shadow-self-carl-jung-659dff8eef18#:~:text=Jung%20believed%20that%20our%20shadow,were%20to%20know%20about%20them.

The shadow can manifest itself in people’s lives when you have a reaction to someone or something which is instant and highly energized.  A person’s shadow is projected on someone what has the characteristics that we don’t recognize in ourselves.  This is for better and often for ill.  Have you ever taken an instant dislike to someone who pushes your buttons and causes you to react negatively which is out of proportion to their behaviour.  Of course, that can work in the other direction, and you may look up to someone as having all the characteristics you admire.  This is the shadow at work.  Carl Jung explains:

Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness’s of other people. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely. Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

The shadow will appear in our dreams, often, but not always, as a dark figure of the same sex as the dreamer.  By paying attention to our dreams and particularly the shadow figures in them we can be conscious of them and be aware of how the shadow in ourselves is working in our lives. 

The shadow can also operate collectively in groups of people.  This is where the danger to society is greatest.  I will speak more about that next time.

May you be blessed to befriend your shadow on your journey as you stroll down the avenue together.