Learning Logotherapy

I have always been a loner. That means to say that I am used to being alone it doesn’t necessarily mean that I like it. When I was in one of my more introspective moods, I had picked up a book. And, I was thoroughly engrossed.

The book was: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

Written in 1946 during World War II it has been comforting through the years and one that I don’t mind rereading when I get the chance.

Frankl was imprisoned in the concentration camps during this period and the book makes many mentions as to how things were for the people who were put there. Amazingly, this man, even though the prospect of death was a daily occurrence did not lose the ability to surpass his hardships by creating his own psychotherapeutic method.

This he later coined as Logotherapy.

Which used memory and identifying a purpose in life to feel positive despite circumstances beyond his control. This according to Frankl if a prisoner could envision his circumstances from a different perspective this would help them see the future in a different light which affected the longevity of the prisoner.

Right now, with BLM going on I can’t help but want to help in any way I can.

Acknowledging is the first step. And, certainly not the last by far. My hope is that this book can be an inspiration to those that have experienced pain, torment, hatred, or other vile aspects of the human condition and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

If this man who survived the holocaust could come out of it with wit and witticism than anything could happen.

In a part of the book he explains that he had seen some of the photos of those in the concentration camps and he had mentioned that yes, there was pain and loss, yet, the some of the people that were in the photos were actually not unhappy.

Putting things into perspective: If you were in the photo at that moment you were alive and still breathing.

Grim. I know. Yet, absolutely true. And, who wouldn’t say that they could look at life with a little more love for it knowing that you escaped death at least for one more day.

He spoke of the relationship he had with a S.S soldier and the other prisoners within the camp. He insisted that things were sincerely not that bad and I think that his pervasive positivity rubbed of on some of the others. At least, I am hoping so.

There is so much more I would like to say about this book. More importantly I would want anyone to read this. Not just a person who wants to support just one cause over another, but everyone. It has inspired me to meditate and to consciously decide to become more positive in my life. It is difficult and I love the challenge and I hope that there are others that would be up to the adventure within. To be able to surpass the trials and tribulations of the everyday mundane that cannot be changed and remember, and to know what it feels like to be happy. Allowing oneself this is a big step.

I choose the candle as picture to represent the story because it is something that one would find on the cover of the book itself.

Despite the lofty goal of having you enjoy this little story, try something completely different and yet uniquely the same.

My recommendation for snapping out of the blues and getting back to some better hues within. Read. Meditate. Repeat.