Hello there, hoping life treats you kindly.
The cool breeze of autumn now swirls through the air, marking the end of the brutal summer heat and bringing with it a renewed sense of hope; even in the midst of the dead of the leaves.
This week we cover the theme of Existential Vacuum, the term coined by the Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl. In his book, "Man's Search for Meaning" published in 1946, draws on Frankl's experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II and his subsequent work as a psychiatrist. It's my go-to book for those days when the clouds are low and dark, and the sky wears a thick gloomy veil.
In this essay, I told a brief story of the time when I was trapped in the cycle of a routine and used it for redemption to heal the wounds of my past failures. It is characterized by a deep and pervasive feeling of inner emptiness, as if life lacks significance or purpose. This is the vacuum in which we experience a deep sense of emptiness, a lack of purpose, and a profound absence of meaning in our lives—a state of entrapment that many of us find ourselves in (without knowing it).
And next, Midlife Liminality Part 3 is finally out.
This is the narrative of my personal journey, where I struggled with the challenging task of separating "who I now feel I am" and "who I appeared to be– in my own eyes and in the eyes of others in the past". It is difficult to say goodbye to our glorious days, that's how I was trapped in the world of past achievements.
The idea is that as we go through the process of personal growth and inner development, our cognitive capacities will mature to higher levels, unlocking greater awareness, potential, and creative possibilities.
Dare to kill your darling, as there will always be a better one to flourish if you're willing to endure the hard work inside.
2 quotes that resonate with the vibes of the week
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”― Viktor E. Frankl
"It is a paradox of life that we do not begin to live until we begin to die." – Richard P. Cowan
1 self-reminder to meditate on
Your worth is not measured by your productivity. It has nothing to do with the state of your to-do list. True self-worth shouldn't be about how much you get done or how much you get paid for doing it.
Your actions and their underlying motivations should ideally align with a sense of authenticity that emanates from your own heart if you are fortunate enough to be able to view them from a spiritual perspective.
Unless of course, in the case of survival being the prime concern, then the why is to survive and that is a great thing.
You too have been there.
