While I can’t admit to doing it regularly, I will admit to being intrigued by books written in the distant past. While it seems we have advanced much as a society, there are many things that stay the same. And some of those things are ideas that happen to be written down and printed into books that can be read and absorbed long after the author has died. The book I’ve been engrossed in this week is Modern Man in Search of a Soul by Carl Gustav Jung.  

Sharing Ideas

Whether it’s a board meeting, conference, or classroom, some of the best ideas come to fruition when they are shared with others. Sure, some inventors are likely to create products all by themselves in the comfort of their own basements, but do their ideas really launch without support from others? Do ideas matter if they are not adopted and accepted by our society? As we’ve seen on the show Shark Tank, you can have a phenomenal idea, but if you don’t have support, guidance, and capital, it’s hard to transform a great idea into a sustainable and profitable business.

As Jung wrote in Modern Man in Search of a Soul, “Ideas spring from a source that is not contained within one man’s personal life. We do not create them, they create us.”

Coming from such a profound thinker, who likely inspired millions of future psychologists, he’s right. Even his ideas, which in many ways were brilliant and ahead of his time, have transformed the way many people in our modern society think and act. By sharing his ideas, he was able to inspire and create a movement of people wanting to learn more. People who wanted to prove or disprove Jung’s ideas with current scientific applications. By sharing his ideas, he was able to impact the world after he left it.  While most people enjoy the status quo and not rocking the boat, great movements and ideas never happened by sitting by the sidelines.

Stronger Together

We are stronger together than we ever can be apart. We can bring our unique perspectives and experiences together to solve any problem. The secret is to stand up, stand strong, and stand together. Movements start with one person’s idea. And when those ideas are shared with others, they can create a movement.