Most "Inner Work" Is Avoidance Without This

The Existential List #75

After nearly a decade of existential consultations, I have found one observation by Carl Jung to be painfully true:

People will go on the most random side-quests instead of confronting themselves in an honest inward conversation.

Every extreme tendency ranging from the excessively material to, yes, the excessively spiritual seems to draw people in before they simply sit with the actual work they know they’re avoiding.

Grand escapes to the Himalayas, Ayahuasca rituals, cold plunges, eliminating entire macronutrients, fringe political ideologies, silent meditation retreats are all exciting… and yes, sometimes they may facilitate insights or even breakthroughs.

But all of these become sophisticated forms of avoidance if they keep us from developing a genuine relationship with ourselves. Nothing can replace true self-understanding that comes from the courage to reckon with ourselves.

And no, I’m not saying all this from atop a high horse. I’ll share my personal story of when I was avoiding my inner work, and set out what an honest inward conversation looks and feels like.

But first, let’s start with one of the most hilarious but profound explorations of self-avoidance: an old movie from Kerala, India. It’s originally in the Malayalam language, but I’m going to break it down for you to illustrate what superficial “Inner Work™” looks like, and then contrast it with real inner work.

Ready? Let’s dive in.