AIM FOR A GOOD DESPAIR

That’s what he wrote, “Aim for a good despair?” Who would ever say something like that? And why? Despair sounds like an absolutely terrible state of mind and emotion. Despair sounds like something that no one in their right mind would ever want to feel or consider good. So what’s with this injunction, “Aim for a Good Despair?”

The answer goes to context. Of course, that’s obvious because meaning is always context dependent. So, hmmm, is there a possible context where despair would be a good thing? Something that you would look forward to? Surprisingly the answer is yes if we’re talking about the context of psychotherapy.