Date: 1946
Nationality: Austrian
Owner: Viktor Frankl
Medium: Text
Viktor Frankl spent years in a concentration camp during the holocaust. He was a psychologist and neurologist. During his time in camp, facing some of the most horrible and terrifying circumstances, he sought for meaning. He watched as some turned to despair, while there were others who acted with kindness and generosity even when they had lost everything. He is a powerful example of someone who learns even in the most desperate circumstances. His writing states, "The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity--even under the most difficult circumstances--to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not." (Strong and Davis 752) His bravery is unparalleled. He faced such great terrors, and yet he is taking it as a learning experience, a time to make him stronger. If I and my civilization can look at suffering and pain as opportunities to grow, we will continue to progress until the end of our civilization itself. He questioned the power of his oppressors, by claiming that they couldn't take away everything, he still had choices. He recognized the power in kindness, no matter the circumstance, and he shared what he had learned with the world, urging others to learn from their sufferings in their own way.
Owner: Viktor Frankl
Medium: Text
Viktor Frankl spent years in a concentration camp during the holocaust. He was a psychologist and neurologist. During his time in camp, facing some of the most horrible and terrifying circumstances, he sought for meaning. He watched as some turned to despair, while there were others who acted with kindness and generosity even when they had lost everything. He is a powerful example of someone who learns even in the most desperate circumstances. His writing states, "The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity--even under the most difficult circumstances--to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not." (Strong and Davis 752) His bravery is unparalleled. He faced such great terrors, and yet he is taking it as a learning experience, a time to make him stronger. If I and my civilization can look at suffering and pain as opportunities to grow, we will continue to progress until the end of our civilization itself. He questioned the power of his oppressors, by claiming that they couldn't take away everything, he still had choices. He recognized the power in kindness, no matter the circumstance, and he shared what he had learned with the world, urging others to learn from their sufferings in their own way.
No comments:
Post a Comment