Ataraxy Friday: Meaning in Suffering.
Nigel Donovan
Executive Stress Management > Executive Leadership Coach > Emotional Intelligence Coach > Executive Coaching
As we look ahead to ANZAC day, I thought I'd share some insight from Viktor Frankl, a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp in WWII.
His most famous work, "Man's Search for Meaning", is a powerful and insightful exploration of how people can find meaning in their lives, even where all else has been stripped away.
He claims there are three places we find meaning.
1. In Creating
2. In Love
3. In Suffering
The first two are relatively easy to understand.
Creating
Creating, building, and working towards a larger outcome. Whether a piece of art, a business, or a worthwhile outcome. The creative process and the working towards building something is a place where we can find meaning. Even if it is as simple as a garden. We can find meaning in creating.
Love
To truly love another person or being is to see them as they are. To see them simply and connect with them without condition.
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But suffering, benefits from a little explanation.
People can find great meaning in suffering when they have no alternative. According to Frankl, we can find meaning even in extreme discomfort, for instance, an experience like Auschwitz or a significant health diagnosis.
Only through extreme tests can we find out how strong we are. To quote Frankl, when “we cannot change our circumstances, we are forced to change ourselves”.
Sometimes our lives can seem superficial, and we seek meaning in the empty (eg Facebook and Insta),? manufacturing squabbles, or catastrophising the minor.? Frankl rejects this kind of masochism.??
However, taking on this lesson from Viktor, we could ask how we can change our attitude to the struggles we face. How can we see them as tests, as challenges, as opportunities to see our own strengths?
One of the powerful aspects of ANZAC day is the humility and perspective that day brings to our own struggles.
Have a good weekend
Nigel
PS: Is the pressure on your leaders showing up in irritation, friction, and wasting time and energy in argument? I’m running a how-to workshop for senior executives, business owners and HR leaders to build cohesion in your leaders. To take them from isolated and stressed to calm, in control and dynamic, working well together.
Click for deets: https://success.nigeldonovan.com/