I went to the opening night lecture and premier of C.G. Jung’s Red Book a couple of weeks ago and have not stopped thinking about the man and his work since.

The Red Book is a large, red, leather-bound journal Jung laboriously assembled over the course of his adult life. The journaling and sketches happened primarily between the years 1914–1916, but the transcription of his active imaginations into an ornate calligraphic script and illustrations of eastern-inspired mandalas, took a lifetime for him to complete. Jung poured everything he had–consciously and unconsciously–into the Red Book. It is a masterpiece: one man’s attempt to understand Transformation (Enlightenment? Transcendence?) from a psychological, not merely spiritual, point of view. And yet, when he was done, he ended the work with this postscript; “I did this as well as I could,” a neat piece of humility in the face of the enormity of the effort. Continue Reading »

I just saw this headline on cnn.com, “Internet addiction linked to ADHD, depression in teens.” Upon reading further, I realized a connection had been made, but not in the way I’d anticipated. In this study of 2,000 Taiwanese kids, scientists found that teens diagnosed with ADHD and depression are more likely to become addicted to the Internet. This may be true, but I had this chicken and egg scenario turned around the other way in my mind: I see Internet addiction as leading to

conditions like depression and ADHD. The media barrage comes first and the neurological disease comes second. At any rate, it calls attention to the ill effects of too much Internet and that is a good thing. Information overload!

Last night I went to IDEO for the book release party for CEO Tim Brown’s book, Change by Design

. Tim gave a reprise of his TED speech. What struck me as I listened was how hopeful I felt. I’ve been dedicating a lot of thought to the strange chaotic time of change we’re experiencing right now and wondering how we’ll find our way through it (and when we do, what’s on the other side). Tim’s perspective is that design thinking, the kind of non-linear, problem-solving thinking perfected by designers, is going to be key. He pointed out that much of what one reads and hears about the big debates of the moment–healthcare, water, the environment, poverty–is nothing more than debate about which of the existing choices is best. As he points out, designers drive towards solutions that don’t yet exist. That seemed to me a better skill set for unprecedented times. I look forward to reading more and incorporating some of Tim’s experience into my own problem-solving exercises.