Tragic Optimism

How to Find Meaning Despite the Tragedies of Life

There seems to be a shift happening in our world. Everyone is feeling it. Everyone is talking about it. Political anger, moral injustice, economic decline, a compulsion to focus on our phones more than our neighbors, violence in our streets, loss of connection, and on goes the list. This breaking down of our humanity is bringing us closer to the train wreck barreling toward us that we somehow are both terrified of and participating in. Everything feels so out of control, something we as Americans collectively haven’t felt many decades.

What are we to do when we feel we have no control in such a harsh and painful world? We can look to tragic optimism. This concept, which is exactly what it sounds like, optimism despite the tragedies of life, holds a great deal of wisdom and promise. And we do have the freedom to choose optimism regardless of our circumstances.

I want to be very careful in explaining the difference between tragic optimism and the positivity movement. Bear with me as I get into the technical weeds of defining these two approaches, but I think it’s important. According to PositivePsychology.com, “positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, with a focus on strengths instead of weaknesses, building the good in life instead of repairing the bad, and taking the lives of average people up to great instead of focusing solely on moving those who are struggling up to normal.” (Christopher Peterson, Psychology Today, 2008).

However, tragic optimism, a concept out of logotherapy “presupposes that life is potentially meaningful under any conditions, even those which are most miserable. And this in turn presupposes the human capacity to creatively turn life’s negative aspects into something positive or constructive…an optimism in the face of tragedy and in view of the human potential which at its best always allows for: 1) turning suffering into a human achievement and accomplishment; 2) deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better; and 3) deriving from life’s transitoriness an incentive to take responsible action.” (Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, 2006).

Paul Wong, a logotherapist and researcher adds, “[The] five essential components that comprise tragic optimism [are], 1) affirmation of the meaning and value of life, regardless of circumstances, 2) acceptance of what cannot be changed, 3) self-transcendence in serving a higher purpose, 4) faith or trust in God, and others, and 5) courage to face adversity.” (Existential Psychotherapy of Meaning: Handbook of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, 2009).

One of the major questions I had when I decided to study psychology was what makes one person collapse under tragedy while another overcomes it. What was the secret sauce? Tragic optimism may be a step toward answering that question. When we can find meaning in suffering through faith, courage, helping others, and taking responsible action when we can, we will find meaning and live a more fulfilled life. Start paying attention to anyone who inspires you, whether it be Viktor Frankl, St. Paul the Apostle, your neighbor who overcame addiction, or Rosa Parks. They will have some, if not all these traits.

When I was a young girl, I read the story of Harriet Tubman. She suffered under unthinkable trauma as a slave in Maryland. Yet despite this ongoing trauma from her earliest years through adulthood, she had the courage to take responsibility of her own mind and will to meaning. She had tremendous faith in God, which she stated was strengthened by surviving a catastrophic head injury from abuse. She believed through her faith that her life, and the life of all humans, had meaning despite the circumstances of slavery. She faced unbelievable adversity when she escaped her horrific circumstances and later helped nearly a thousand other slaves reach freedom. Here we have a woman who was told repeatedly that she was ugly, unworthy, and had no rights to her own person. She was uneducated and suffered from temporal epilepsy from her injuries. She had no resources other than her faith. Yet we all know her name. We celebrate her story through books, movies, plays, and school history lessons. How could this be? I would argue it’s because of the power of faith, love, and her will to meaning.

There are countless stories of others who have overcome unthinkable odds to go on to accomplish amazing things. I love the story of Jon Ponder, an ex-gang member and bank robber who was in and out of juvenile detention halls and later prisons. In his late 30s he found God in prison which brought meaning and purpose to his life. He chose to work with his guilt instead of being defeated and crushed under the weight of demoralizing circumstances. Through optimism, despite the tragedies and traumas of his life and all the bad things he had done, he started the organization HOPE for Prisoners, a re-entry program for ex-cons. The organization boasts a 94% success rate of those who complete the program who never return to jail.

Through my work in psychiatric hospitals, I have personally met many people who have overcome debilitating and severe mental illness and now work as patient advocates. They often return to their same hospital to bring hope to those who suffer similar illnesses and find themselves in the depths of despair. Again, you will see these advocates using tragic optimism to find meaning in their lives. There are many, many people whose life stories we will never know who choose to affirm that their lives have meaning regardless of their circumstances, who work to better the lives of others who suffer, who believe and have faith in something greater than themselves, and who have great courage.

So, when you turn on the news or scroll through social media to find example after example of how bad everything is, we can choose to see the lessons in it. We can choose to take responsibility for ourselves despite the things we cannot control. We can use the guilt of our own personal mistakes to be better human beings. I urge you to spend time thinking about a person you know, whether personally or through history, who has these qualities, values, faith, and optimism. Then ask yourself how you could better find meaning in your suffering.