Standing Ground .biz

From Myth and Meaning

A rare convergence of insights from Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, psychologist Carl Jung, and Zen philosopher Alan Watts reveals that our greatest struggles stem not from life's external hardships, but from the invisible psychological traps we refuse to confront.

Despite their vastly different backgrounds—ranging from the horrors of N**i concentration camps to the depths of the unconscious mind and Eastern philosophy—Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung, and Alan Watts arrived at remarkably similar conclusions about human suffering. They argued that the modern obsession with chasing superficial happiness operates as a paradox, leaving people comfortable yet empty. Instead, they championed the pursuit of meaning, which often arrives disguised as responsibility. When we use avoidance to protect ourselves from uncomfortable realities, we only allow those suppressed fears to control us from the shadows, transforming into anxiety, burnout, and perfectionism.

To break free from these invisible prisons, we must recognize that our identities are flexible narratives rather than fixed sentences, and that resilience grows precisely where our control ends. Trying to micromanage every outcome is an exhausting battle against reality that only breeds tension. Ultimately, liberation does not begin when our external environment changes, but when we choose to step into the rooms we have refused to enter, stop defending outdated versions of ourselves, and actively participate in life rather than merely trying to survive it.

source: Science & Soul. (2026). Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung, and Alan Watts All Discovered the Same 5 Rules for Living—Almost Nobody Lives by Them. Substack.