The Nixon in All of Us
Why do I keep finding Richard Nixon in my closet? isn’t he supposed to be dead or something?
———- from James Rose of Kalispell, MT
Jungian psychology posits the existence of a shadow side, where everything we would rather wish away not only exists, but colors our every perception. For many of us, the personification of that shadow self is most completely found in the infamous celebrity persona of Nixon. There’s no use denying the Nixon in all of us – in fact to do so is to make it all the more real. No, it is only by accepting our Nixoness that we can transcend it. Next time you see Nixon in your closet, flash him the old twin victory signs and then do as Sammy Davis Jr. did, and hug him. He’ll disappear faster than an IRS refund.
Jungian psychology posits the existence of a shadow side, where everything we would rather wish away not only exists, but colors our every perception. For many of us, the personification of that shadow self is most completely found in the infamous celebrity persona of Nixon. There’s no use denying the Nixon in all of us – in fact to do so is to make it all the more real. No, it is only by accepting our Nixoness that we can transcend it. Next time you see Nixon in your closet, flash him the old twin victory signs and then do as Sammy Davis Jr. did, and hug him. He’ll disappear faster than an IRS refund. 