What is true for life in general is also true for every enterprise. It can only prosper – and I mean in the long run, over several generations – if it follows the principles of life of the species homo sapiens. These ideas do not just pop up in my brain because of the so-called financial crisis. However, it shifts it a little more to the foreground. Just like in psychology, in business we also seek to lead a fulfilled and happy life by discovering our true nature and following it. Viktor Frankl’s classical work “…trotzdem JA zum Leben sagen” (Say YES to Life, Regardless) made a lasting impression on me.
Viktor Frankl (1905 -1997) was probably the most important psychologist of the Wiener Schule. The reason is not only because he distanced himself from the Freudian Errors and misinterpretations (like penis envy and oedipal complex, etc,). He also threw overboard the almost impossible task of laying the patient flat (note the potential double meaning relating to Freud’s works where they prove erotic relations between him and his patients) and poking around in his emotional darkness. As opposed to this, Frankl’s concept of logo therapy keeps the patient in an upright position and gives him confidence (logos is Greek for meaning, essence, character).
If there is one book that changed my concept of the world at one single go, it is Frankl’s: “…trotzdem JA zum Leben sagen! – Ein Psychologe erlebt das Konzentrationslager”. (- A psychologist surviving the concentration camp). He describes his personal survival strategy through the atrocities of the concentration camp. In short: he gave meaning to his life-threatening confinement. He helped other inmates, shared his meagre rations with the weaker, gave them emotional support and in doing so gained meaning for his own being. His logo therapy is based on this survival strategy.
After the dark time, he specialized in his work as psychologist and psycho-analyst on depressions (the term is also quite suitable in the economical sense) and suicide (are enterprises like Lehman anything other than suicidal?). Instead of torturing patients endlessly on the sofa, he soon managed to make them change their awareness through his concept of looking for a meaning in life. As soon as my life has meaning, it is worth living! So the basic question is: What is my true essence? What is essent-ial?
The meaning of life can be helping others, doing your work with devotion, or expressing yourself artistically. Promoting children or spreading cheerfulness and amusement.
So there is no passe-partout-meaning that has to be superimposed on everything. Finding your individual meaning in life (or phases of same) gives you a lot of energy. And for our economy that means that the banks would have been and still would be better advised to recollect their own logos (not their logo). I am absolutely sure that the true essence of a bank is not to trade in non-existent numbers and lotteries!
What is remarkable is that this game is now, again, happily on the up. Enterprises that were still bankrupt yesterday are now making billions of profits. After all, the foul deals are delegated to the Bad Banks. I wonder what would happen if Every-Jim-and-John who is building his house also could delegate his debts to the state or shift them to the Bad Account.
Well, I guess the reason why he will never enjoy this kind of embellishment is that he never fouled up, gambled and lost everything. I wonder if I will ever find out the meaning of this … …. .
Li
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