Man’s search for meaning
By Tom Quiner
I ran across this great quote from a Quiner’s Diner reader’s Facebook page. Thanks for posting it, Karen!
“As a professor in two fields, neurology and psychiatry, I am fully aware of the extent to which man is subject to biological, psychological and sociological conditions. But in addition to being a professor in two fields I am a survivor of four camps – concentration camps, that is – and as such I also bear witness to the unexpected extent to which man is capable of defying and braving even the worst conditions conceivable.”
–Viktor E. Frankl (in ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’)
This one, from the same book, is really terrifying:
“I shall never forget how I was roused one night by the groans of a fellow prisoner, who threw himself about in his sleep, obviously having a horrible nightmare. Since I had always been especially sorry for people who suffered from fearful dreams or deliria, I wanted to wake the poor man. Suddenly I drew back the hand which was ready to shake him, frightened at the thing I was about to do. At that moment I became intensely conscious of the fact that no dream, no matter how horrible, could be as bad as the reality of the camp which surrounded us, and to which I was about to recall him.”
Wow … jarring. As you have alluded to on your blog, people who fight depression may have a similar situation. I offer my heartfelt prayers to my friends who fight this challenging affliction. Let me know when you are in need of such prayers.