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In the Chinese language, the two characters representing\xa0crisis\xa0are\xa0danger\xa0and\xa0opportunity. Can that possibly be true of these days of pandemic crisis, with physical, economic, and psychological destabilization? Voices of experience and wisdom speak to us about finding potential in desperate situations.

Victor Frankl, imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, discovered he had the power to choose his attitude toward brutal circumstances. Erich Fromm felt that isolation and fear could lead either to experiencing or forfeiting personal freedom.

Carl Jung valued the human capacity for consciousness: \u201cAs far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.\u201d We can be heartened in hard times by those who have gone before, turned inward, and found treasure.\xa0

Dream

I\u2019m walking into my high school dressed in school uniform for the first time in years. I walk through the cafeteria and people are all looking at me and whispering. I sit at some seats by myself. I see some classmates I recognize and ask why they\u2019re all still here when we left high school 5 years ago. They tell me it\u2019s because of the coronavirus outbreak. I ask, \u201cWhy would it be the coronavirus outbreak when that has only just started?\u201d They don\u2019t give me a proper answer. I am not aware of why I am here either but I have just rejoined after some time away whereas the others have been here for a long time.

References\xa0(Books available on Amazon):

Victor Frankl,\xa0Man\u2019s Search for Meaning

Erich Fromm,\xa0Escape from Freedom