From props to pillars
Everywhere you look, there is a growing sense of insecurity around the world. With the covid pandemic, climate change, military conflicts, extreme social inequalities, a growing disparity between the rich and poor, and technology eliminating millions of humans from vast sectors of the global economy, people around the planet are feeling more vulnerable and afraid with each passing day. The solid ground that they once stood on is dramatically shifting if not disappearing right beneath them.
Having worked in the mental health field for over twenty-eight years, I've watched numerous individuals who faced difficult and tragic situations in life. Where they felt extremely overwhelmed and unsure of themselves. And, at the same time, when they too often reacted in very unhealthy and destructive ways.
Whether it was unemployment, isolation, homelessness, death of a loved one, mental illness or domestic violence, they felt lost and disoriented. And sadly, in many instances, they responded to these struggles by choosing such substances and activities as alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography, cigarettes, and hours playing virtual games or staring at one's cellphone. They were looking for props to comfort and reassure themselves. Props to forget their problems. Props to kill the mental and emotional pain.
Props can come in all sizes and shapes. They not only show up as harmful substances and activities but also in propaganda, political rhetoric, racism, unfounded conspiracy theories, unhealthy beliefs and opinions that we hold about ourselves and others. And what appears universal for all these props is that they immediately or eventually become draining, disabling and destructive.
As a psychiatrist and survivor of the holocaust, Viktor Frankl wrote about how the meaning of life is always changing but that we can find meaning through our creativity and doing good deeds, experiencing something or someone with love and through the empowering attitudes we choose toward unavoidable suffering.
With the uncertainty and instability of this climate-change world, it's understandable that we may want to lean on if not grab any prop that will distract and even disconnect us from any disturbing thoughts or feelings. But these props do not make us healthier or happier. They do not strengthen us. The props only weaken us - mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
In this new and ever changing world, we must let go of the props and find the "pillars of character" that can help each of us become stronger and more resilient. With these pillars, we can construct our moral and ethical compasses which will guide us through various tragic moments and suffering.
In the closing chapter to his book "Man's Search For Meaning," Frankl talks about the concept of 'tragic optimism'. He speaks of an optimism that we embrace when facing any tragic situation. It's our human capacity to turn any negative experience into something positive or constructive. Frankl states that we reach our human potential when we turn any suffering into an achievement or accomplishment, explore opportunities to change oneself for the better and find an incentive to take responsible action.
With more extreme and intense climate events taking place around the planet, we will be forced to confront many crises and tragic situations. Be it severe droughts, rising sea levels, warmer temperatures, higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, or more species lost to extinction, we must practice tragic optimism in our daily lives. It is through creating the tools and cultivating the skills that we can build our individual and collective pillars to reach our human potential, become more responsible citizens and serve the greater good.
For myself, it's building the 'pillars of character' which keeps me centered, compassionate, creative, collaborative and courageous. Knowing and embracing what I value, treating the world with kindness and understanding, celebrating and sharing my creative spirit, exploring how to engage and work with others as equals, and facing my fears. We will need all of these virtues in order to provide ourselves with a greater sense of clarity and inner strength.
The author of this article, Tone Lanzillo, American writer and journalist, is a member of the Loaves and Fishes Community in Duluth, a live-in volunteer at the Dorothy Day House, an active part of the Duluth/365 initiative, and is a key part of our team here at The Human Exploring Society.
The author of the cover image is Martha Stephens, cofounder and editor of the nonprofit media activism platform The Human Exploring Society.
The artwork is released under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license.
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