Commentary: Playing the Odds

August 21st, 2008 CoyoteJ Posted in Commentary |

Coyote is a
sometimes playful,
sometimes foolish,
sometimes wise,
archetypal figure
who often
gets into trouble.

Quick Coyote thought…

Both law enforcement and protesters are telling Coyote to watch out for the one or two percent. Ninety-eight percent are fine, but it’s the one or two percent that will cause trouble. True and false.

Certainly, almost all police and protesters won’t cause any problems, and it is the few on either side that could start something unfortunate. This is true. But, it is false to think that one or two percent are bad, and everybody else is good. As Coyote is fond of reminding us, the one or two percent is me. The one or two percent are a collective manifestation of something that is true of all of us. When we count ourselves among the righteous 98, and distance ourselves from the awful two, we are really distancing ourselves from ourselves, and this is never good. We need to begin to see everyone in everyone.

CoyoteJ, fifty-seven percent wise, and fifty-four percent hungry.

CoyoteJ is a Jungian oriented psychotherapist in private practice in Denver, who is very interested in the psycho dynamics of how groups work, and how groups like the police and protesters will function in the passionate environment of the Democratic national Convention. To see more Coyote’s thoughts, check out his blog at CoyoteJ.blogspot.com.