Carl Jung: “Now, let us be reasonable.”
To H. Richard Mades
Dear Sir, 3 August 1959
Thank you for your interesting letter.
I quite agree with you that the best thing would be if we could all get together and say: “Now, let us be reasonable.”
But unfortunately that is precisely the thing that does not happen, and I cannot see how such an event could be brought about by artificial means.
The sad fact is that men of today are not reasonable.
Knowing this, it would not be reasonable to hope for a reasonable solution which we know cannot be brought about in a reasonable way.
Try by all means!
I don’t believe that man, as he is today, is capable of evading the vicious circle in which he moves, as long as he is as immature as he actually is.
The only thing I can do is to try at least to be as reasonable as possible in my own life and to help a few others to be also reasonable.
Even if the great disaster should overtake us, there may survive a few who have learned to be reasonable and who were helped by the serious attempt to get a bit more conscious than their somnambulistic entourage.
I think it is even better to make ready for the great catastrophe than to hope that it will not take place and that we are allowed to continue the dream-state of our immaturity.
Maybe I am too pessimistic, but it does not look too nice, does it?
Sincerely yours,
C.G. Jung ~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Pages 512-513
