Shattered Illusions

Man is the only animal that finds his own existence a problem he has to solve and from which he cannot escape.
In the same sense man is the only animal who knows he must die.
Eric Fromm

The bombing of New York’s twin towers and the Pentagon in Washington, DC as well as the hijacking of four U.S. planes that resulted in thousands of murders has shattered our soul’s sense of safety. Never again will we be a nation secure in the illusion that as a country and as individuals, we are protected and sheltered. We are a people accustomed to viewing pyrotechnic towers as an every day event on both the big and little screens. Few of us are prepared for the reality of burning towers forever flattened. New York’s crushed geographic landscape is a metaphor for an enemy’s attempt to destroy our country, our economy, our spirit and ourselves.

But, it will not work. Witness the resolute and dignified way those of the big apple continue their lives. A big bite has been taken, but with nary a New York raspberry heard, the great city wends its way. So does the less flamboyant Capital and so does our nation.

But, will we move forward unscathed? No! Never again will we get on a plane without our stomachs churning or our hearts skipping a beat. Few of us will enter a crowed building in a major city without wondering if we will emerge safely. We will continue to live as normally as we can, much as the English during World War II continued to plant their gardens’ while bombs were exploding about them. That is as it should be, for even under duress life must go on.

The late eminent psychiatrist, Dr. Viktor E. Frankl, who survived the Nazi concentration camp atrocities, taught: “there are three main avenues on which one arrives at meaning in life. The first is by creating a work or by doing a good deed. The second is by experiencing something or encountering someone, in other words, meaning can be found not only in work but also in love.”

Neither vengeance nor justice will return us to a world of safety. Shattered illusions will be with us forever. Our choices? To huddle behind walls fearing and hating or move on with guarded optimism, grateful for life, grateful for love. I believe we are strong and that we will thicken our skins and life will be joyous again.

But, this process will not happen overnight. To get to where we want to go, we must reach out talk and communicate. We must touch those near and dear and risk love. For without that risk, life becomes no more than an empty shell. With a new sense of reality we can and will continue to say ”Yes” to all we have.

Life is too hard to do alone,

Dr. D.

Dorree Lynn, PH.D.