Man’s Search for Meaning

1

A man can find solace during times of absolute terror through inner thoughts and emotions
- Loved ones, nature, laughter, anything that makes you feel warm
  - Even if his wife were to be dead, he would still vividly imagine their love
- Tiny experiences grant us freedom
Despite the influence of one’s environment, we are still able to preserve our human dignity through our choices
Suffering is an inevitable part of life, and it is integral for human living
- Helps add meaning to one’s life, but it is our choice on how we do it
- Sometimes, we need exceptionally difficult situations to grow spiritually
One’s “inner hold” allowed them to not fall into the control of the Nazis
Having a lack of direction changes our perception of time
- Days feel exhausting, and can even feel like previous weeks
Our emotions of suffering disappear once we clearly visualize it
Instead of figuring out life, we should figure out what life wants from us
- Life means to find our purpose and fulfill it
- Life is concrete and form our destiny; there is only one right answer
  - This can include suffering, which we must uphold and follow through
  - Our purposes are completely unique to us, and there is no one that can replace what we must do
    - Thus, we must persevere and use our purpose as motivation to continue
Are our losses really that significant? Do they really outweigh our future potential and current state?
Our experiences can never be taken away from us
There are two kinds of people; the decent and indecent person
- Concentration camps amplieifed their differences
After falling victim to extreme despersonalization and degradation, released prisoners were less moral with their actions as they used their treatment as an excuse to cause harm
By being neglected after being free, the prisoners experienced further suffering
Suffering has no limits
After overcoming suffering, you lose the abillity to fear certain things

2

Logotherapy

Logotherapy is similar to psychoanalysis where a patient converses with a doctor, but in logotherapy, the doctor tells disagreeable advice to the patient
Focuses on a patient’s future and meaning
- Finding meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man
- Logotherapy helps a patient become aware of their responsibilites
  - It is up to the patient to decide, not the doctor
    - ex) An eye specialist compared to a painter
We are willing to die for our ideas and values
- People are more interested in finding their purpose than making money
Noogenic neuroses (related to human existence) are best solved by finding a person’s meaning (logotherapy)
Man’s search for meaning is an existential distress but not a disease
- It is abstract and is never fully explained
- Assistance through therapy should be used, not medicine
Having a purpose (Noo-Dynamics) fortifies our mental (and possibly physical) health
- Instead of having equilibrium, we need tension/suffering in our life
The existensial vacuum refers to how a modern man’s purpose is greatly influenced by conformism and totaliarianism
- People become depressed during alone/down time because they are no longer distracted by external stimuli, and are left to their own thoughts
  - Boredom is as concerning as distress
  - Existensial vacuums can be temporarily solved through power, money, or pleasure
We are responsible for finding out what we are meant to do in life
Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!
- Addresses finiteness and finality of life
The more a person forgets themselves through serving others, the more self-actualization
- In reality, self-actualization is only possible through self-transcendence
We can figure out our purpose by:
- Creating works or doing deeds
- Experiencing something or encountering someone
- Our attitude towards unavoidable suffering
Love is the only way we can intimately connect with other people and understand them
- Through love, we help others actualize their potential
- Sex is a way of expressing the togetherness of love
When faced with unavoidable tragedys like sickness, we are forced to change ourselves
- Highlighted an excerpt
- We should be willing to suffer through unavoidable events to find meaning
  - If there is no meaning to suffering, there is no meaning to survival
Just like how an ape may not understand the purpose of their brutal medical testing, we might have a reason for suffering that extends our rational dimensions
To cope with death, we must acknowledge all our contributions and experiences
- Instead of focusing on the decrease in days, we can focus on the things we have already done
- Having limited time provides meaning in our decisions
  - Having been is the surest kind of being
Anticipatory anxiety refers to when the anticipation/fear of an event causes more harm than the actual event
Hyper-intention refers to how the more we try to consciously do something, the less effective we are
- As a result, hyper-reflection can lead to sickness
  - ex) Focusing on your partner rather than orgasm helps you last longer
  - ex) Focusing on trying to sleep when wanting to sleep
    - Try your best to stay awake
- Thus, being conscious of things help mitigate it’s effects
  - Paradoxical intention
Paradoxical intention is effective regardless of the etiological basis of the case
- By ironically countering our symptoms, we can learn to ignore them
- self-transcendence acts as a cue to being cured
Counteracts nihilism through the finding of purpose
It is our choice to change
- Man is ultimately self-determining
Our freedom is determined by our responsibility

3 - Tragic Optimism

The tragic triad consists of pain, guilt, and death
Tragic optimism allows us to:
1. Turn suffering into accomplishment and achievement
2. Use guilt to change ourselves for the better
- Unfortunately, today’s society does not only fail to help people cope with suffering, but also degrades those who are
1. Use the inevitability of death to take responsible action
  - Nothing is irretrievably lost, but rather, everything is irrevocably stored and treasured
    - Our value is not solely based off our current skills, for we should also consider our previous accomplishments
Forcing ourselves to be happy results in paradoxical intention
- Thus, we must focus on actually finding happiness
Finding meaning is a widespread issue in therapy (30%)
People with failed suicide attempts were able to find solutions to their problems and were happy they continued to live
Agression can be solved through a joined purpose
Addiction can be solved through a purpose to fulfill
Our life is like a movie, we will never understand the complete picture until the very end

So, let us be alert—alert in a twofold sense: Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake.

self-transcendence: the application of positive effort, technique, acceptance of limitations, and wise decisions
“the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.”
“The meaning of your life is to help others find the meaning of theirs.”

References:

John Mavrick's Garden

Man’s Search for Meaning

1

2

Logotherapy

3 - Tragic Optimism

Backlinks

Interactive Graph