As certain as the sun coming up in the
morning is the certainty of a New Year and the New Year's
resolution.
Each of us has reflected on the past year's
habits and deeds and have wished we had stuck to our last
year's resolutions. For some it was to exercise more consistently,
some it was to eat fewer fatty foods and more vegetables
and fruits. For others, it was to cultivate a better balance
of home and family life.
No one can be another persons conscience,
nor can anyone impose their will on another without the
consent of the receiver. This of course was optimized by
Dr. Victor Frankle in his book, "Man's Search For Meaning".
As a long time prisoner of war in German concentration camps,
he found himself stripped to naked existence. His Father,
Mother, Brother and wife were all sent to the gas chambers.
All but Victor and his sister perished in the camps. How
could he, every possession lost, every value destroyed,
suffering from hunger, cold and brutality, hourly expecting
extermination, how could he find life worth preserving?
He concluded that man's search for meaning is the primary
motivation in his life and not a "secondary rationalization"
of instinctual drives. This measuring was unique and specific
in that it must and can be fulfilled by him alone; only
then does it achieve a significance which will satisfy his
own will to meaning.
In a survey concluded some years later
at John Hopkins University, students were asked what they
considered very important to their life. Sixteen percent
of the students checked "making a lot of money"
while 78% said their first goal was "finding a purpose
and meaning to my life."
Sometimes we trivialize our own lives
and idealize high profile successful people, but each of
us is one and it is only in our mind that the genesis of
worth can materialize and crystalize to form our own search
for meaning, worth and value.
Have a happy, prosperous and healthy 2002.
PS. If anyone is interested in reading
"Man's Search For Meaning" by Victor Frankle,
it is available at most libraries and book stores. It's
a thoughtful and provocative book. |
