Collective Neurosis Essay

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Why do people choose to live in the past rather than pursue a possibly greater future? This can occur due to a fear of the coming days, months, and years ahead that await. People would rather think and engross themselves in memories then have any sense of direction for the the inevitable passing of time. While every age is unique, “The Collective Neurosis” states the problems that can arise from not believing that people can escape, improve, or adapt to their environment. A person’s environment can be described by where they live and grew up, their socioeconomic status, and even their current mental state. These conditions can have dramatic effects on one’s personality, beliefs, and overall outlook on life itself. This potential nihilism that …show more content…

A excruciating pain, like the loss of a family member or close friend, may cause a person to lose faith for better times in life. This particular source of pain was seen all too much during the Holocaust. Between eleven and seventeen million people lost their lives in concentration and work camps all across Europe including Frankl’s own family. For the ones that this tragedy directly affected, their past occasionally became their present and future: “To be sure, a human being is a finite thing, and his freedom is restricted. It is not freedom from conditions, but it is free to take a stand towards the conditions” (Frankl 130). Frankl explains that while people have the ability to change their outlook on their surroundings, it’s often difficult to escape the aftermath of horrific events from the past. Humans cannot control when, where, and how they were raised. All these factors play a crucial part in the development of one’s personality and behaviors. Your view on life can either help you progress or halt your success in finding your meaning. A person who is lost in their past will not glimpse into the possibilities of what the future hold for them. Instead they will only be in a continuous state of nihilism and lack the motivation to have any type of future at

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