INTRODUCTION
Here you'll find a strong opinion piece, so, dear reader, continue at your own peril. The idea for this post came to me recently when I made several embarrassing mistakes without meaning to. And so I naturally wanted to share a few of my philosophical ideas that I believe could help you on your quest to become great writers. Additionally, you might also get a good laugh out of it. Furthermore, if you were wondering what my mistake was, I nearly burned down my uncle's food stand. So, everyone who reads this article, I invite you to laugh at my expense. To find out the reason why I welcome such mockery, please read this post to its conclusion, and have fun.
VIKTOR FRANKL
To begin our discussion, we must first examine the work of Viktor Frankl. Mr. Frankl is a respected figure in the field of psychology whose research has had an immense impact on modern-day work. And, especially for me, he was a great influence on my creative writing with his book Man's Search for Meaning.
Mr. Frankl was born on March 26, 1905, in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. His philosophical ideas on human meaning from the aforementioned book have been revolutionary in the field of psychology. To give a brief summary, because you really should read it yourselves, his perspective on the matter focuses on the individual meeting inevitable pain and suffering head-on. He described such unfortunate incidents as life itself, asking each person a question, wanting them to grant them an answer. For example, if you hurt your leg running, what can you do next time to keep that from happening again, or how can you better manage the pain if it even occurs regardless?
In short, we have a responsibility to serve life, but not the other way around. He paused, stating that the 'answer,' if I may, will always be different depending on the person and the context. Since human beings are all unique individuals, describing life as a complex game of chess with no one right move. However, if someone could figure it out for themselves, that person would have the strength to carry nearly every hardship.
However, like most things in this world, his ideas didn't come out of thin air. The man very much did practice what he preached. It all happened during WWII when Frankl, his first wife, his other family members, and many, many others were captured by Nazi officers. During that time, they all experienced beyond horrific pain and suffering, the kind no sane person would have the nerve to inflict upon his/her worst enemy.
Frankl would eventually land in the concentration camps, including Auschwitz. Within that time, he endured several tragedies, such as the death of his wife and several of his family members, and witnessed many of his fellow prisoners intentionally run into electric fences to end themselves. Still, through it all, he lived to tell the story.
Frankl realized at some point that the pain he was subjected to was life asking the question of him. And, needless to say, he found his answer that gave him the strength to endure.
When I go through torment in my life, I try to remember that life is asking me a question, like Frankl. And for me, the answer is always to write about it so I can endure. But recently I've realized that there's still more to it.
The Lesson of Eiichiro Oda
My mistake was thinking that just because I found my meaning that meant everything else around me would click into place without any effort. I put myself under the delusion that being an excellent writer would make me extra competent in all avenues of my life. However, as this post has already stated, that couldn't be farther from the truth.
I've already touched on the business with my uncle's food stand. But I really am a mess overall. I have to struggle and lock in to do anything right outside of writing. And my false belief only made me feel worse since I was certain that a good writer was excellent all around, and if I couldn't meet that standard, then it spelled doom for my dream of being a creator.
Additionally, it certainly didn't help my case that there are people who will attack me when I make mistakes. To be perfectly frank, my cousin is a huge jerk. I swear to God, she never misses a chance to proudly chastise me for one shortcoming or another.
The world is filled with naysayers like her who will call you stupid and pick at any flaw you may have to prove their point. However, what I've come to realize is that there's nothing wrong with coming off as a good bit foolish, silly, or awkward, especially for creatives.
Nowadays I strive to remember that Eiichiro Oda, the author of One Piece, one of the most successful fictional works in the last century, came from humble beginnings and looked extremely dumb more than once on his quest to become a successful mangaka. For example, before he went pro, he had to work in a small restaurant in Japan as a dishwasher. And somehow, someway, he broke over a dozen plates while on the job.
CELEBRATE YOUR FOOLISHNESS
Furthermore, there are several scientifically proven benefits to embracing foolishness. Going through the list:
1. Being more foolish can allow you to meet challenges with a growth mindset that can overcome extreme perfectionism. Because when you're the fool, you only have upwards to go as you learn more and more instead of endlessly chasing a nebulous standard of perfection. Consistently, you'll find those who ended up successful didn't get there by making the right decision every time. But they got there through a long series of trial and error, with my favorite example being Thomas Edison.
2. Embracing your foolishness can be done by reducing intrusive thoughts. It is incredibly difficult to overthink or worry about past embarrassments when you are intentionally being absurd or having a spontaneous kitchen dance party.
3. A good dose of foolishness can lift up your mood when you're feeling down. Engaging in silly, uninhibited behaviors triggers your brain's reward system, releasing dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins while lowering cortisol.
And this loops back around to Viktor Frankl, as he also said that having a strong sense of humor, in other words, foolishness, can grant you immense resilience in the face of great pain and trauma.
About the Author:
Christopher is a returning contributor to Feeling Creative?. He is a proud fantasy and sci-fi author from Jamaica who adores the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Visit his website.
Read his previous posts: Here
Instagram: @hopeandenderance1
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