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If we think of the future, then we also think of the negative future

I recently learned (too bad I didn't learn it sooner) that when we think of a better future, we simultaneously and inevitably think of the worse possible future. In other words, the more we focus on a bright future, the more we cannot avoid thinking about a dark future. Both futures are inseparable and to think of one is to think always of the other one.

This approach makes sense because, as Carl Jung already explained, in our everyday lives, every time we think, we cannot avoid thinking about the negative aspects of our lives and thoughts, which Jung characterized as "shadow", whose negativity consists in many cases in that those aspects have not yet been integrated into our life but are kept repressed or ignored.

From another point of view, the closeness of the positive future to the negative future makes sense because the future is not the day after today (that is, the future should not be confused with the chronological tomorrow), but rather the future is an expansion of the consciousness in which consciousness becomes aware of possibilities not yet explored.

Obviously, becoming aware of possibilities not yet explored means becoming aware that the current state of our life is not the only possible one and, therefore, that what we currently see as something undoubtedly positive may not be really positive, and what we reject as something negative, it may not be that negative. 

In other words, the expansion of consciousness (be it through studies, meditation, life experiences or whatever) includes becoming aware of the "negative" aspects of our life, the "shadow" that Jung spoke of, and simultaneously and for that very reason, we become aware of our true potential and of our possibilities and opportunities.

Therefore, focusing only on an Edenic or heavenly vision of the future is just as wrong as preparing only for the greatest dystopia imaginable because, after all, you cannot think of heaven without thinking of hell, nor of life apart from death or light apart from darkness. These are elements that, like the poles of a magnet, go together.

But do not think that we are proposing yet another version of static dualism. We are talking about a constant dynamic movement of self-exploration and exploration of the universe (that is, possibilities not yet explored) that at each moment lead to myriads of psychological, emotional, and cognitive adjustments that, for that very reason, give rise to the aforementioned “shadow”.

In this context, there are those who only see the positive in the future and there are those who only see the negative in the future. And, from a certain perspective, both are right. But there is a key difference. It has been said that the pessimist is always correct, but it is the optimist who generates changes and transformations.

We are not talking about irresponsible optimism or defeatist pessimism, but about an integral transformation of our being based on a new level of consciousness, where even the “dark energy” is properly integrated. 

 

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