The real and relevant lessons of logotherapy

 

The real and relevant lessons of logotherapy

Hope and despair is the two different sides of the coin. Hope leads to prosperity and despair may take you to a bridge that leads nowhere. We all are going through a very rough patch of life. Covid 19 has stricken every sphere of life. Life seems to involve and revolve around this misery of mystery. The cynosure of a Covid 19 nightmare not ready to subside. The situation has started impacting all of us in masses now. Before it gets worst, we have to find some lights. I happened to read a book by Viktor Frankl, 'Man's Search for Meaning' where he elaborated Logotherapy. Dr. Viktor Frankle was psychiatric and spend his 3 years in 4 Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Throughout these hard times in camp, he had witnessed despairing moments arising out of inhuman conditions and unimaginable horrors at camp.

Despite rough situations, the comrades staying along with him survive hard times. The word 'logo' in logotherapy indicates meaning or reason. Life lies in the search for meaning.

We live because we want to know the meaning of our life. The learning from camps gives him the realization that we can withstand any storm given the reason. The reason to find 'why' to live for, can withstand 'any how'. We can discover meaning in life by creating a work or deed, by experiencing or encountering someone, by the attitude we take forward unavoidable sufferings.

Most of the time we are finding meaning in life from the tragedy of triad, the (i)tragedy of pain and suffering gives us an opportunity to learn and find meaning in it, the (ii)tragedy of guilt can be overcome by taking responsibility for our actions, the (iii) tragedy of death can be overcome by living our life as it is the second time, knowing how we got it wrong in the first time. The current episodes of covid-19's second wave have been covering a tragedy triad almost for all of us in one or another way. People are suffering inexplicable pain, the pain of deteriorating health, not finding hospitals, medicines and oxygen. These helpless and hopeless situations lead to guilt and finally, there was the demise of newer and dear ones.

 These are horripilation times where a large number of demographics are saddened in all its horizons. The economy started losing its animal spirit. This despair time can be overcome by Hopes. The hope of saying 'this shall pass too'. Tackling all the odd in terms of learning and living life as it is for the second time, and understanding how it went wrong in the first place.  

The situations of despair need to be defeated by 'how' and 'why' would act as hope. 

- Amol Nakve