What Is In Our Control
Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning had significant influence on my thinking. It is a “must read” for anyone interested in the human condition.
In the first part of the book, Dr. Frankl, a psychiatrist and neurologist, describes his personal experience as a long-time prisoner in four concentration camps during the Holocaust. He writes of the physical and soul-destroying mental conflict the prisoners faced. The final part of the book is about logotherapy, the school of psychology Frankl created. It’s based on the idea that we are strongly motivated to live with purpose and meaning.
One of Dr. Frankl’s insights seems particularly apt for these times. He teaches while we cannot always control the circumstances we face, the one thing that is always in our control is how we react. Such a realization can be liberating to all of us during these times and well beyond.
I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
— Rabbi David Woznica