The opposite of experiencing what Frankl calls “historical existence” (the significance of you being here, now) is a “presentist” existence.
If you are not here for a reason, then you have no responsibilities. You might as well sit on a desert island and do nothing but lie in the sun day after day, after day.
We all need to take intentional breaks from obligations, from time to time. But what happens when the weekend comes after working hard all week at an unsatisfying job?
The escape from work in this case is not a conscious temporary release from responsibility but an overwhelming sense of emptiness. People get intoxicated as an escape from the lack of meaningful content in their lives.
“Psychotherapy in spiritual terms” is designed to handle the angst that arises out of philosophical problems that confront human beings, because human beings don’t want to live like a dog lying in the sun. Healthy and mentally unstable people alike, have spiritual needs. (The Doctor and the Soul pp. 28-29)