Good writing starts with a point, develops and elegantly ends. While on one hand I want to make a clear, concise point, on the other hand I want to share my stream of consciousness. This reflects random thoughts which do not necessarily arrive in logical order. Although writing is not my topic today, I am prefacing my words with this, just in case it sounds like I’m rambling.
I will start by telling you about a movie I saw several weeks ago, called Searching for Sugar Man. Sixto Rodriguez is an. exemplary human being, and he has clearly passed on his traits to his daughters as well, who are strikingly refined. For this and other reasons I recommend the film as a “must see” logotherapy movie. One small noteworthy point in the movie is the attitude taken by the man who is searching for Rodriguez. He says that he hit a brick wall, and that made him very happy because encountering obstacles meant there was something to look for. He thought of himself as a detective, and in detective work there is always mystery. Obstacles only spur you on to bring out your longing and curiosity, so you’ll keep on searching.
His comments reminded me of the Biblical interpretation on the passage about God sending Abraham to the land “that I will show you.” Everyone is on a search for his or her destiny, explains Rabbi Natan of Nemorov, and God doesn’t tell you where you’re going, so that you’ll keep looking, and through the search you’ll find God.
But my stream of ideas were first sparked in the wake of a town meeting held last week. It was organized in light of the worsening security situation. Under discussion was: What can you do to protect yourself if rocks are thrown at your car? (Sorry I’m writing about this, but this is the reality I’m living in and these are the thoughts that come out of this reality.) The meeting organizers said the following: Experience has shown that in the event of a traumatic experience, the post traumatic stress is greatly reduced when everyone has a task. Everyone needs to know in advance what they are supposed to do. The driver makes sure to keep both hands on the wheel (so as not to lose control of the car) and tries to get out of there as quickly as possible. The wife needs to call the emergency station. The child knows he’s supposed to cover the baby’s face.
Upon hearing the word “task” my mind immediately turned to Viktor Frankl’s words about logotherapy: “The more he grasps the task quality of life, the more meaningful will his life appear to him. While the man who is not conscious of his responsibility simply takes life as a given fact, existential analysis teaches people to see life as an assignment.” (The Doctor and the Soul, p.58)
Having a task, there is something you can do. You are in control of your response, even if you’re not in control of those aspects that you are unable to change. This makes it less traumatic.
There is another aspect to the meaningfulness of a task. It’s an assignment given intentionally and specifically to you. And it’s only when you sense that you are the one being entrusted with this important task, that you will fully commit yourself to doing it. Thus Frankl says: “Until he learns what constitutes the singularity and uniqueness of his own existence, he cannot experience the fulfillment of his life task as something binding upon him.” (The Doctor and the Soul, p. 105)
If you don’t experience the task as something binding, then you will be apathetic about doing it. You will think it really doesn’t matter very much if you do it or not. No one will care one way or another. So when you do decide you’re going to do it, you probably won’t do it with much enthusiasm. And since what you’re doing doesn’t feel very meaningful, you’re not likely to want to continue to do meaningless tasks even when they’re not difficult to do.
The sense of “having a task” goes hand-in-hand with “meeting a challenge.” The high-jumper welcomes and relishes the opportunity to jump over the raised bar. The man looking for Rodriguez felt compelled to continue his search.
Today I experienced the feeling of a task when my daughter-in-law told me her three year old is getting tired of date spread for lunches. I felt challenged to make him healthful food he would like to eat, and I managed to succeed.
If only we could meet all of the challenges life sends us in this same way, from life-threatening illness to minor irritations and everything in between. Not every assignment has to be painful, and some are pleasurable through and through. But there are some assignments that are thrust upon us. If we can learn to be detectives and see them as opportunities and invitations to search for and discover our destiny, then wondrous things can come out of it.
As a detective you must do it because no one else is going to do it instead of you. Your tasks are the expression and manifestation of the fact that you are irreplaceable. Your tasks constitute your special contribution that no one else can make.
A few days after the meeting a friend shared a beautiful thought with me. The more we are able to find our task in this world and do our part in making the world a better place, the better we are able to connect to the person next to us and pass this possibility on to them. She added that this implies that we have a responsibility to “be ourselves” and do the tasks that are assigned to us because by so doing we serve as an impetus to the next person to do the same. We are all intertwining sparks that help each other to grow.
How different this is from the competitive mindset that says there are others out there doing the same thing we’re doing, or that you need to only care about number one! It’s not true! Even when you are engaged in your own task, you are helping others to do theirs. And when you help others do their tasks they are unavoidably helping you do yours.