Stunned to Come Across

I am always stunned to come across colossal inspiration.

I have spent hours today doing research regarding publications on line and in print that appear to be a good fit for my "style" of writing.

Randomly I came across a publication I used to subscribe to - The Sun Magazine - a publication that I loved.

It is gritty and real - some would say dark - I un-subscribed because at the time I had no foundation of belief in myself and allowed my mind to believe the stories were too dark.

I now believe that in certain respects I am who I am and I love specific things that make me unique.

I began to read The Sun on line to re-acquaint myself with the writing. Came across the quote from Viktor Frankl that precedes this post.

Loved the quote, did some research on Frankl and came across a short video, TED Talk style from 1972, featuring Frankl explaining where that quote came from.

It is 4 minutes and 22 seconds long and is mind blowing.

Viktor Frankl was professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. During World War II he spent three years in concentration camps including Auschwitz and Dachau. His parents, brother and pregnant wife died in concentration camps.

It was in these horrific conditions that he began to formulate his key ideas.

He wrote 39 books, the best known of which is "Man's Search For Meaning." The Library of Congress called it one of the ten most influential books in America.

It gives a firsthand account of his experiences during the Holocaust and describes the psychotherapeutic method he pioneered.

Many people who read it say it changed their life.

I was lead to another Frankl quote: "Challenging the meaning of life is the truest expression of the state of being human."

In the video, Frankl talks about a study that was done that indicated that 78% of the young people who responded felt that figuring out the meaning of life is the most important thing a person can do.

This lead him to a discussion of how people should be treated in order to inspire them to achieve at their highest potential.

Which lead to this quote by Goethe: "If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be."

There is a lot to chew on here but the good news is that it is all inspirational.

Potentially life changing.

In short, I have ordered "Man's Search For Meaning" through Amazon and will have it in my hot little hands by Tuesday.

I will renew my subscription to The Sun.

I may even change my life.

All of this happened randomly.

Or did it?

Anyway it is all pretty damn cool.