Viktor Frankl on Meaning in the Midst of Suffering

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Lee — 5 Comments

For Part 1 of this article, see “Viktor Frankl on Meaning through Work.”

For Part 2 of this article, see “Viktor Frankl on Meaning through Relationship: It’s All About Love and Understanding.”

Man’s Search for Meaning

Viktor Frankl

In the second part of Man’s Search for Meaning, psychiatrist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl lists three different ways we can find meaning in life:

By creating a work or doing a deed
By experiencing something or encountering someone
By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering

In Part 3 of this article, we’ll look at finding meaning in the midst of suffering. On that subject, Viktor Frankl writes:

We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change a situation—just think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer—we are challenged to change ourselves.

As with Frankl’s views on meaning through work and meaning through relationship, this, too, is harmonious with Emanuel Swedenborg’s views on our spiritual rebirth or “regeneration.”

In fact, Swedenborg agrees with Frankl that when we are in the midst of suffering and struggle, that is precisely when we are at our most human. And though it may seem just the opposite to us at the time, it is also when God is closest to us.

Why are these things so?

Let’s take a closer look at what suffering and struggle are all about spiritually.

For more on Viktor Frankl and meaning in the midst of suffering, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: children of God, Emanuel Swedenborg, evil, existentialism, logotherapy, Man's Search for Meaning, pain, spiritual rebirth, spirituality, suffering, temptations, Victor Frankl, Viktor Frankl
Posted in Pain and Suffering, Science Philosophy and History, Spiritual Growth

Viktor Frankl on Meaning through Relationship: It’s All About Love and Understanding

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Lee — 3 Comments

Man’s Search for Meaning

Viktor Frankl in 1975

In the second part of Man’s Search for Meaning, psychiatrist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl lists three different ways we can find meaning in life:

By creating a work or doing a deed
By experiencing something or encountering someone
By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering

Part 1 of this article, “Viktor Frankl on Meaning through Work,” explored Frankl’s first path to meaning by offering some supporting elements of the path of spiritual rebirth or “regeneration” described by Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) two centuries earlier.

In Part 2, we’ll look at finding meaning by experiencing something or encountering someone. This, too, is harmonious with key parts of Swedenborg’s perspective on our path of spiritual rebirth. It’s all about love and understanding.

For more on Viktor Frankl and meaning through relationship, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: children of God, Creation, Emanuel Swedenborg, existentialism, logotherapy, love, Man's Search for Meaning, relationships, spiritual rebirth, spirituality, understanding, Victor Frankl, Viktor Frankl
Posted in Science Philosophy and History, Sex Marriage Relationships, Spiritual Growth

Viktor Frankl on Meaning through Work

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Lee — 3 Comments

Man’s Search for Meaning

Viktor Frankl in 1949

With over twelve million copies in print worldwide since it was originally published in 1959, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, has become a psychological and spiritual classic.

In it, Frankl recounts his experiences during three years in Auschwitz and several other Nazi concentration camps. And yet, as its title suggests, the message of Man’s Search for Meaning is not one of horror and despair, but one of meaning and of hope for humanity.

Instead of surrendering to hopelessness as many imprisoned victims of the Nazi regime did, Frankl viewed the horrors of the camps with a trained psychiatrist’s eye. In doing so, he found vindication for his view that the beauty and power of humanity is our ability to rise above even the worst suffering, and become greater than any barbarism that might be inflicted upon us.

Frankl proposes that in finding a meaning for our own particular life and circumstances, we can rise above hopelessness, depression, and the various neuroses that afflict us, and build a satisfying and worthwhile existence for ourselves. In the second part of Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl lists three different ways we can find meaning in life:

By creating a work or doing a deed

By experiencing something or encountering someone

By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering

These three paths to meaning in Frankl’s existential system of psychotherapy (which he named “logotherapy”) are harmonious with similar elements of the path of spiritual rebirth or “regeneration” described by Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) two centuries earlier.

In Part 1 of this article we’ll look at finding meaning by creating a work or doing a deed.

For more on Viktor Frankl and meaning through work, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: architecture, Auschwitz, concentration camps, Emanuel Swedenborg, existentialism, logotherapy, Man's Search for Meaning, self-expression, spiritual rebirth, spirituality, Victor Frankl, Viktor Frankl, work
Posted in Pain and Suffering, Science Philosophy and History, Spiritual Growth

Personal Transformation: It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Lee — 8 Comments

SuEllen Fried

SuEllen Fried looks more like a grandmother than a group counselor for prisoners.

In fact, she is both.

In 1980, she began volunteering at Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas. That volunteer work became a lifetime commitment to the inmates. As reported in a recent CBS Evening News report, “Kansas prisoners get the granny treatment,” Mrs. Fried leads a program in the Kansas prisons called “Reaching Out from Within.”

Why does she do it?

“I am addicted to personal transformations,” she says.

And the program works. Although the national recidivism rate (prisoners who end out back in prison after their release) is roughly 50%, for those who attend Mrs. Fried’s program regularly the rate drops to less than 10%.

How does this sweet, grandmotherly woman accomplish such tremendous results?

For more on SuEllen Fried and personal transformation, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: It ain't over 'til it's over, Lansing Correctional Facility, personal transformation, prison, prisoners, Reaching Out from Within, recidivism, spiritual rebirth, spirituality, Sue Ellen Fried, SueEllen Fried, SuEllen Fried, the grandmother effect
Posted in Current Events, Spiritual Growth

Can Communication and Confrontation be Spiritual?

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Lee — Leave a comment

Confrontation: Handle With Care

Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson in "Anger Management"

An angry confrontation

“I hate you!”

“I hate you too!”

Ouch! Too many of our “conversations” turn into confrontations, and then degenerate into shouting matches. After it’s all over, neither side feels very good. These battles can be bruising—and even deadly.

How can a spiritual perspective help us to communicate well both with those we love and with those we consider enemies?

We start by working on developing direct and caring communication with those we are closest to. After all, if we can’t communicate well with our friends and lovers, how will we ever communicate well with our enemies? Good communication takes time and effort. But it also pays big dividends in closer and deeper relationships, and a happier life.

When we find ourselves in situations of conflict and confrontation, the skills and practice we have gained in communicating well during the good times can turn what could have been a breakup or a war into an opportunity for spiritual and interpersonal growth.

It all starts with developing love and respect both for our friends and for our enemies. Yes, we are commanded to love our enemies! Developing respect for them can be even trickier. But the rewards of doing so are well worth the effort.

For more on negotiating the path of communication with friend and foe, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: communication, conflict, confrontation, conversation, love, love your enemies, mutual understanding, relationships, respect, spiritual communication, spirituality
Posted in Sex Marriage Relationships, Spiritual Growth

World Series Obstruction: Intent or Not Intent, That is the Question?

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Lee — Leave a comment

In a freak ending—a first in World Series history—game three of the 2013 World Series matchup between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals ended with an obstruction call. Here’s the official definition of “obstruction” from the Major League Baseball rules:

OBSTRUCTION is the act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball and not in the act of fielding the ball, impedes the progress of any runner.

Rule 2.00 (Obstruction) Comment: If a fielder is about to receive a thrown ball and if the ball is in flight directly toward and near enough to the fielder so he must occupy his position to receive the ball he may be considered in the act of fielding a ball. It is entirely up to the judgment of the umpire as to whether a fielder is in the act of fielding a ball. After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no longer be in the act of fielding the ball. For example: If an infielder dives at a ground ball and the ball passes him and he continues to lie on the ground and delays the progress of the runner, he very likely has obstructed the runner.

That’s almost exactly what happened in the final play of the game, except that it was a thrown ball rather than a hit ball. Because of the obstruction call, the Cardinals won the game. Needless to say, Red Sox fans were not happy!

Will Middlebrooks obstructs Allen Craig in game 3 of the 2013 World Series

Middlebrooks obstructs Craig, World Series 2013, Game 3

That has set off a spirited debate about the obstruction rule. Why should there be a penalty when the Red Sox fielder obviously had no intention of obstructing the Cardinals’ runner?

Spiritually speaking, this has a lot to do with the difference between evil and sin. But before we get there, let’s take a look at the unusual call that decided a World Series game.

For more on obstruction and intent, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Allen Craig, Boston Red Sox, evil, Jim Joyce, Major League Baseball, obstruction, obstruction call, obstruction rule, sin, spirituality, St. Louis Cardinals, Will Middlebrooks, World Series 2013
Posted in Sports and Recreation

Secrets of Heaven, by Emanuel Swedenborg

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Lee — Leave a comment

What are the stories in Genesis about?

Was the world really created in six days, or is there some deeper meaning?

What about Adam and Eve? Noah and the Ark?

How can we believe these stories in the first few chapters of Genesis when science tells us that the universe is billions of years old, humans evolved from lower animals, and there isn’t anywhere near enough water on earth to cover all the mountains in a worldwide flood? Is the Bible just plain wrong? Or is science itself an illusion, as many Christian fundamentalists claim?

If these questions trouble you, I recommend Secrets of Heaven, Volume 1, by Emanuel Swedenborg. This volume, the first of fifteen volumes covering the books of Genesis and Exodus, sets the stage and provides the opening acts for a revolutionary new way of understanding the Bible—especially the early, mythical stories in the first few chapters of Genesis.

For example, the Creation story in Genesis chapter one is revealed not as a mere literal account of how people thousands of years ago thought God created the world, but as a divinely inspired story of our spiritual rebirth as new creations in the image and likeness of God.

In Secrets of Heaven, Swedenborg looks at the stories in Genesis and Exodus chapter by chapter and verse by verse, explaining the deeper, spiritual meanings in the Word of God. These meanings provide new and deeper light on our own spiritual journeys, and on the inner life of Jesus Christ when he lived among us here on earth.

Secrets of Heaven
By Emanuel Swedenborg

Secrets of Heaven was originally published in London, 1749-1756, in eight Latin volumes. I recommend the New Century Edition linked here for the most readable and accurate modern translation.

To purchase Secrets of Heaven, Volume 1 on Amazon, click the cover image above, or any of the title links. To purchase direct from the publisher in various formats, or to download a free PDF or epub version (without the scholarly introduction and notes), click this link.

For further description and review, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Adam and Eve, Creation, Emanuel Swedenborg, Genesis, Noah, Noah and the Ark, Secrets of Heaven, spiritual meaning, spirituality, the Bible
Posted in Books and Literature

Suffering, Struggle, and Hope: The Example of Ismail Khalif Abdulle

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Lee — 4 Comments

Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
—Helen Keller, in a 1903 article titled “Optimism.”

The Al-Shabaab terror group made headlines last month with its horrific massacre at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya. However, Al-Shabaab has been terrorizing innocent civilians for over a decade. Try as they might, Al-Shabaab cannot break the spirit of all their victims. A mighty spirit is a powerful foe to those with evil intentions.

Ismail Khalif Abdulle in Harstad, Norway

One such mighty spirit is Ismail Khalif Abdulle, a young Somali who was a teenager when Al-Shabaab maimed him. In 2011, to escape the fear he lived with back at home, he moved to Harstad, Norway, 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

There, he had a clean, comfortable place to live, food to eat, access to the medical care he needs, and a chance to make a life for himself.

The climate and social atmosphere of his new home in Norway were about as different as you could get from the home he left in Mogadishu, Somalia—which is about the same distance north of the Equator as Harstad is north of the Artic Circle. Before arriving in Norway, Ismail had seen snow only on TV. In Somalia, his idea of “chilly” was evening temperatures plunging to 64° F (18° C). It was also quite an adjustment to move to a place where the sun never sets in mid-summer, and never rises in mid-winter.

But the biggest adjustment was cultural: moving from the familiar equatorial African culture in which he had grown up to the northernmost of northern European cultures. When he arrived in Harstad, its population of about 23,500 people included about 150 refugees, with perhaps a dozen Somalis in that number. In Norway as a whole, people of African descent account for less than 2% of the population.

Yet for Ismail, it was all worth it to escape the fear, horror, and pain he had suffered because of Al-Shabaab.

For more on suffering, struggle, and hope, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Al-Shabaab, Al-Shabab, cross-amputation, Harstad Norway, Helen Keller, hope, Ismail Khalif Abdulle, Kenya, pain, Somalia, struggle, suffering, violence
Posted in Current Events, Pain and Suffering

Tobias Bass and the Far-Reaching Power of Childhood Love

Posted on October 6, 2013 by Lee — 4 Comments

Tobias Bass reading his letter to News9

Tobias Bass had a problem. He wanted to run a 5K race with his older brother Titus, and he didn’t see how he could do it. You see, Titus has cerebral palsy. He can’t walk. And the boys’ single mom, a teacher, couldn’t afford a jogging stroller.

But Tobias didn’t let that stop him. Day after day he saw his brother looking longingly out the front window as other children played and rode their bikes outside. Tobias wanted Titus to be able to get outside and feel the wind on his face, too. So he took matters into his own hands.

What did he do?

He wrote a three-page letter to Kelly Ogle and Amanda Taylor, news anchors on KWTV News9, a local Oklahoma City TV news program. You can read the letter here. Among the many gems in the letter, he wrote, “My pastor said we have to be God’s hands and feet, but I’m going to be his legs, too.”

Ogle and Taylor were so moved by his letter that they not only ran a segment about it on their news broadcast, but contacted Oklahoma Able Tech, a provider of strollers and other equipment for disabled people. Soon Titus had a jogging stroller, and he and Tobias began training together for the 5K run.

For more on Tobias Bass and the power of love, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Amanda Taylor, cerebral palsy, childhood experiences, children, handicapped children, jogging stroller, Kelly Ogle, KWTV News9, love, Oklahoma City, spirituality, Titus Bass, Tobias Bass
Posted in Current Events

The Cain and Abel Story: Does God Play Favorites?

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Lee — 25 Comments

A reader named Sue posed this spiritual conundrum:

Cain murders Abel

The Cain and Abel story in the Bible is the first example of murder. I don’t condone murder, but I’ve often found myself feeling sorry for Cain and upset with God over his treatment of Cain. God didn’t treat the brothers equally. God liked Abel’s offerings but did not like Cain’s offerings. Cain presumably worked as hard as Abel to prepare his offerings to God. God shouldn’t have been surprised that His disfavoring Cain would make Cain jealous of Abel and that the two would get into a fight. Why did God not favor Cain as He did Abel? If God had treated the brothers equally, this murder would not have occurred. All Cain wanted was to be equally loved by God. Instead God disfavored him and Cain predictably acted badly as a result thus having to bear lifelong consequences when all he wanted was equal love.

Really, Cain is not much different from many of us. What do you think?

Great one, Sue!

Too many people experience the pain of seeing siblings loved and cherished while they themselves are criticized and punished by their parents. This sort of favoritism causes many deep psychological and spiritual problems for both the disfavored and the favored children.

The story of Cain and Abel has been confronting and confounding people with that theme for thousands of years. And yet, it is an ancient, mythical story that has many more layers of meaning than what appears on the surface. The deeper we look, the more clearly we can understand the mysterious ways of God.

For now, let’s look at it on four levels, as a story in which:

God acts like a seriously flawed human parent.
God acts like an intelligent, experienced leader.
God acts like . . . well . . . God!
There are deeper meanings about our spiritual journey.

I hope that by the time we’re finished, the Cain and Abel story will be more meaningful to you . . . and less infuriating!

For more on Cain and Abel, please click here to read on.

Tagged with: Abel, Cain, Cain and Abel, evil, faith, favoritism, love, neighbor, playing favorites, spiritual meaning, the Bible, violence, What if God is one of us
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Confrontation: Handle With Care

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What are the stories in Genesis about?

Was the world really created in six days, or is there some deeper meaning?

What about Adam and Eve? Noah and the Ark?

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Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. —Helen Keller, in a 1903 article titled “Optimism.”

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Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.
—Helen Keller, in a 1903 article titled “Optimism.”