What Dreams May Come

     

     "Memories, Dreams and Reflections" is an autobiographical book written by Carl Jung in which he reflects upon many of his travels, the experiences he lived during said travels, and the dreams which hold a deeper meaning to him. In Chapter IX he travels to many places including: North Africa and India. During these trips he was not a tourist in these countries; he reflected upon what he saw and tried to assimilate their culture (although he believes he is somewhat superior to the culture he sees). It is curious to see that these cultures had such a great impact on himself, to the point he had very vivid dreams about the places he visited. These dreams had meaning to him. They revealed his true feelings towards the cultures he met as he traveled.

 During his visit to India he compared many of the things he considered "European" in a totally alien nation. Although he received many surprises because he learned that the Indians are not as different as he thought from the Europeans. In one scene there is a depiction in which a pandit or guide, took Jung to a great temple. This temple had obscene stone sculptures which were ways to achieve spiritualization. The pandit wanted to tell him a secret and it turned out to be that he wanted Jung to know about the man's private parts in the stone sculptures. Sexuality is very present in both cultures

      I believe that if one makes a visit to a foreign land one should be a traveler not a tourist. A traveler grabs a better piece of the culture from the place he is visiting. He mingles with the locals and an exchange of culture occurs; one learns about the many things that make a country unique. This is more or less how I felt after I visited Cuba. I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting this beautiful country and sharing in the culture of the locals. I was six years old, but I remember it very clearly. I went to the "tabacalera" where cigars were made, "La Plaza de la Revolución" is a city plaza in which the Cuban revolution is commemorated, "El Malecón," and many other places. To this day I have the Cuban culture very present in my life. I'm sure there has been a trip in your life that you've adopted the culture of the nation.