Tragic Optimism
We are big fans of Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning,” and feel it bears re-reading in these particular times. In it we have found our marching orders for the new year, as 2020 finally gives up the ghost.
Tragic optimism is finding meaning even amidst very real pain and suffering. If we can find meaning, even after a heart attack, a COVID diagnosis, a loss of job, or loss of loved one, or even a loss of who we thought we were—then we have a chance to not only carry on—but to flourish. The kind of flourishing that is not dependent on outside circumstances—a flourishing of the spirit.
Search for meaning
How do you find meaning? How do you find joy, or happiness? Frankl insisted that if you search for these things, you will not find them. They found him—in arguably the worst conditions human beings have ever been subjected to—when he dedicated himself to serving others. We’ve been thinking that if Frankl could find meaning in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, we should be able to find meaning and joy in our COVID-disrupted world.
Routine
In our last blog, we talked about finding joy and fulfilment in a daily routine. As we have written about often, we find it grounding and healing to stick to a morning routine:
Breathing exercises
Coldwater immersion
Meditation
Movement
But lately we’ve been discussing adding other elements to a daily routine:
Reading (have a book you’re working through)
A 10-minute walk alone, out in Nature
Creative time (music, poetry, journaling)
Designated time to be of service to others (acts of kindness)
A daily gratitude list
Build your best day
The idea is to build your best day—a day filled with self-care, self-development, and service—that is outside the influence of the World’s circumstances. With so much that we are truly powerless over in these uncertain times—let’s do what we can to build the best version of ourselves, supporting each other as we go.
Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to read our little labor-of-love blog this past year. We have some exciting plans to build upon what we’ve been doing in 2021.
We wish you all the best for the coming year.
Scott & Lennart