A Statement On Attitude

Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search For Meaning, Austria 1946
(Survived 3 years of torment in different concentration camps during WWII, including Auschwitz.)

"What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual."

I came across this quote today as I've been reading this book for Ryan's class on Tuesday. Actually, there have been a lot of good quotes that have made me stop and think but this one seemed especially applicable to the society we live in today. My dad always tried to drill into me that we shouldn't expect things from life but accept things in life. I have to add, though, that that doesn't mean we should lie down and let life roll over us. I think that's why I loved this quote. It made me think, "what is expected from me and what can I do to make things better?" I would hope that as I've been faced with opportunities that I have "taken the responsibility to find the right answers" and "fulfill the tasks that I've been given". And part of me hopes that our society will adopt a similar attitude towards making things right.