Nihilism does not contend that there is nothing, but it states that everything is meaningless. And George A. Sargent was right when he promulgated the concept of “learned meaninglessness.” He himself remembered a therapist who said, “George, you must realize that the world is a joke. There is no justice, everything is random. Only when you realize this will you understand how silly it is to take yourself seriously. There is no grand purpose in the universe. It just is. There’s no particular meaning in what decision you make today bout how to act.” (p. 152).
Dr. Frankl’s approach, known as Logotherapy, focuses on discovering meaning. “Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a “secondary rationalization” of instinctual drives.” (p. 99).
Rereading this book has been very rewarding. It is amazing how timing plays into things, along with different experiences. I have not read this book in a very long time. It becomes more impactful in today’s situation, where there seems to be less and less focus on finding meaning in our lives and more and more focus on ‘live for the moment’. As I re-read this, his ideas about the Existential Vacuum stood out more than ever. Depression, aggression, and addiction are everywhere. Dr. Frankl has a solution to this, which is for us to find meaning in our lives, through work, love, or showing courage during difficult times. As he tells his experiences in the concentration camp, you can see him validating his teaching of logotherapy with real experience.
Not only can we choose our thoughts, but we can also analyze our thoughts and determine if we are telling ourselves the truth, decide if we are in the drama triangle, and then change those thoughts that are wrong. That alone will make things better for us. It will not remove the challenges we face, but it will help us choose our response to the challenges we are facing. We can look for ways to build our inner strength and courage.
It is wonderful that this book is available for us to read and learn from as we search for meaning in our lives.
Dr. Frankl’s approach, known as Logotherapy, focuses on discovering meaning. “Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a “secondary rationalization” of instinctual drives.” (p. 99).
Rereading this book has been very rewarding. It is amazing how timing plays into things, along with different experiences. I have not read this book in a very long time. It becomes more impactful in today’s situation, where there seems to be less and less focus on finding meaning in our lives and more and more focus on ‘live for the moment’. As I re-read this, his ideas about the Existential Vacuum stood out more than ever. Depression, aggression, and addiction are everywhere. Dr. Frankl has a solution to this, which is for us to find meaning in our lives, through work, love, or showing courage during difficult times. As he tells his experiences in the concentration camp, you can see him validating his teaching of logotherapy with real experience.
Not only can we choose our thoughts, but we can also analyze our thoughts and determine if we are telling ourselves the truth, decide if we are in the drama triangle, and then change those thoughts that are wrong. That alone will make things better for us. It will not remove the challenges we face, but it will help us choose our response to the challenges we are facing. We can look for ways to build our inner strength and courage.
It is wonderful that this book is available for us to read and learn from as we search for meaning in our lives.
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