More — Intersectional Insight

What if I feel unsafe?

When you are experiencing intense emotional pain asking for help can be hard. You can feel so alone. This card is here to help you reach out to others for yourself or to be the person that reaches out to someone else in need.

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“Tragic Optimism” Viktor Frankl’s search for meaning (book recommended by Eric Wilkins)

Tragic optimism is a concept developed by existential-humanist psychologist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. Despite extreme hardships, he found meaning, purpose, and a greater appreciation for life from these experiences. Unlike toxic positivity which asks you to put on a brave face, tragic optimism acknowledges that life can be hard and painful. It doesn’t deny suffering but instead encourages us to find meaning in it. However, the traumatic event itself is not what is responsible for growth. It is the ways in which these experiences are understood. A process that is active and it is within this search for meaning that we can recognize our suffering. While at the same time seeing the breadth and depth of our own remarkable resiliency.

To learn about Viktor Frankl and his experiences with “Tragic Optimism” you can find his book, Man’s Search for Meaning at most book stores

“Love is an act of will, both an intention and an action”

All About Love: New Visions bell hooks teaches us that love is a verb (book recommended by Tina Louise)

The idea of love being a verb rather than a noun is an important understanding that bell hooks explores in her book All About Love. She shares that love isn't something to possess or keep, but rather it is something that should be expressed, communicated, and shared. She suggests that love is something we must actively do, rather than something we merely feel. She emphasizes the importance of self-love in order to help us better understand why we are worthy of love and how to heal from harmful ideas about love that we so often experience and internalize.

To learn more about our sacred ancestor bell hooks and the wisdom she shared about love you can find her book, All About Love: New Visions at most book stores.