The Courage to Create, Meaning of Depression, Strength and Weakness
Existential Espresso Vol. 13
What I’ve been reading:
“The Courage to Create” by Rollo May
In my “The Lost Art of Reading” guide, I talk about how you don’t need to read every book from to cover to cover.
Well, if you decide to read "The Courage to Create," let me save you time on getting familiar with the contents of the book and deciding what is the best strategy for reading it. This is a book that is absolutely worth reading from cover to cover.
May talks about creativity as something much more than a sort of cultural production and about courage as much more than a willingness to engage in risky and dangerous activities.
The courage to create is a way of being in this world. It is a way of relating to yourself, as well as to your fellow humans, as fully and as passionately as possible.
This is another re-read for me, and the second time that I recommend a book by Rollo May. (In Existential Espresso Vol. 6, I recommended "The Meaning of Anxiety.")
Why do I keep coming back to May, and why is he slowly but surely becoming a thinker I would recommend maybe even before those who have influenced me much more, like Nietzsche and Kierkegaard?
It’s because I can confidently say I have never come across a thinker who is easier to read while dealing with some of the most important questions that a human being who is looking to live a full life should deal with. What fascinates me is that he managed to make his writing accessible without taking away the weight and depth from the subjects he covered.
(If you are interested in "The Lost Art of Reading" and other features of the Sisyphus Society, there is a short announcement about it at the end of this post.)
What I’ve listened to:
James Hollis: The Goal Of Life Is Meaning, Not Happiness
James Hollis is a Jungian psychoanalyst, and this was his appearance on the "Sounds True" podcast.
If you are interested in Jungian psychology, but also if you are just interested in hearing a more holistic perspective on mental health, I cannot recommend this one enough.
What I found particularly interesting is the Jungian perspective on depression.
As Hollis says, depression is usually "psyche’s way of withdrawing energy from wherever we are putting it."
Rather than thinking about how to get rid of depression as quickly as possible, or how to "medicate it away," Hollis suggests that we ask ourselves why the psyche is withdrawing its approval and support of the choices that we are making in life.
Also, as the title suggests, they touch on the topic of meaning and happiness, and those of you who are familiar with the work of Viktor Frankl and agree with his ideas will enjoy this one.
You can listen to it here.
What I’ve been thinking about:
Weakness is okay.
Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about inner strength and weakness. (Actually, when haven’t I written about those things?)
In a recent essay on "Refusing the Poison of Self-Pity" as well as my Instagram post on "Contagious Suffering," I expressed what could be called contempt towards the inner weakness. And even though the response I received was mostly positive, I realized that I hadn’t painted the full picture of how I feel about that inner battle between strength and weakness.
Being weak is okay. Everyone has a certain amount of weakness within, at least I believe so. And in some difficult moments, that weakness expresses itself.
What I think is not okay, and is hurting you and even the people around you is identifying with your weakness. Treating the weakest part of yourself as if it were your whole self.
Being weak is okay. However, if you are not willing to overcome your weakness and fuel the strength that already exists within you, then at least don't spread your weakness onto others.
Thank you for reading.
Stay strong, love life, and never feel sorry for yourself.
Quick announcement: Sisyphus Society will open for new members once more before the end of this year. If you want to learn more about it, receive free downloadable resources from it, and be notified once it’s open for joining, sign up via this link.
If you like my work and get some value from it, there are two types of support you can give:
Zero-cost support in the form of subscribing, liking this post, commenting if you have any thoughts on it, and of course sharing this with anyone who would find it interesting.
Or you can consider becoming a paid supporter of Existential Espresso for 5$ per month. By doing this you would be helping me to keep investing so much time into researching and writing all the content on the daily basis.
What you get by becoming a paid supporter is access to the locked essays (such as “Why Having a Price on My Head Didn’t Upset Me” or “Why Living With a Bulletproof Vest is The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me”), as well as an opportunity to recommend topics for future essays.
However, even taking the time out of your day to read what I have to share with you means more to me than you can imagine. Thank you.
Thank you for your thoughts