Tragic Optimism
Born in Vienna in 1905, Viktor Frankl was one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. He published 39 books, the most famous his 1946 Man’s Search for Meaning, which has sold more than ten million copies and been translated into 24 languages. I just finished it. It is in two parts. The first details the psychology of the concentration camp. He spent time at four, his family’s only survivor. He attributes his survival in great part to his finding meaning, believing he would contribute to society once liberated. One of the early titles of the book, translated from German, was Say Yes to Life in Spite of Everything. He believed society was divided into the decent and indecent. He also believed man is responsible for finding his own happiness. The second part of the book explains his beliefs. It is much more difficult than the first, as it uses clinical terminology, but still yields much that is worthwhile. Frankl developed logotherapy and existential analysis, which are based on philosophical and psychological concepts, particularly the desire to find meaning in life through the exercise of free will. He does not seek broad, spiritual meaning but that which makes a person eager to get out of bed each day, such as a job or love. Unlike Freud and others who delved deep into psyche, Frankl helped those suffering the existential angst common to all. His primary techniques were, according to an article at Wiki, edited by yours truly: Paradoxical intention: clients learning to overcome obsessions or anxieties by self-distancing and humorous exaggeration; Dereflection: drawing attention away from symptoms, as hyper-reflection may lead to inaction; and Socratic dialogue and attitude modification: asking questions designed to help find and pursue self-defined meaning in life. He also spoke of tragic optimism, the belief that there is hope and meaning to be found in life even in the most miserable circumstances, i.e. the death camps. This remarkable human being, despite a near death experience in a camp and all else he suffered, lived until 92, passing in 1997. Without having known of him before last week, I have been practicing what he preached for years, going out to promote and sell my books, and those of other authors, curbside each day the weather allows. It’s what gives my life meaning. And tragic optimism seems a perfect phrase for life at present in the USA, at least for those opposed to socialism. We must make the best of the left’s dominance of American society, although, of course, the situation is not even remotely dire as what the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Mao foisted on their opponents. The paperback edition I read is only 165 pages, including an Afterword. Despite its great value, it will sell for a dollar at the floating book shop.
This must be a mistake. Headline from nypost.com: “Cuomo cut off: Hochul ends taxpayer funding for ex-gov aides’ legal bills.” Maybe my skepticism stems from the fact that Quid Pro Joe — and other career pols — have been enriching themselves at the public trough for years, almost 50 in Biden’s case.
I believe prayer falls on deaf ears, but since I know it’s comforting to many I would never support its banning. Here’s a snippet from an article by Emma Colton at foxnews.com that put a smile on my face, followed by a photo: “High school football players in Tennessee led parents and fans in prayer after the local school district prohibited teachers and coaches from leading students in prayer.” Awesome, folks.
And here’s one way, in lieu of a wall, Texas officials are trying to stem the tidal wave of illegal immigrants Quid Pro Joe has sent their way, photo from FN:
Not much action today at the floating book shop. My thanks to the ladies who each donated two mysteries, and to Wolf, who swapped three paperbacks for Wanderings: Chaim Potok’s History of the Jews; and to Lou, who bought four more DVDs; and to the young woman who purchased two books on art that are so old the price of each was originally $1.25.
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