The Last of Human Freedoms
The Last of Human Freedoms
Season 2
Episode 33
During World War II, Viktor Frankl spent his war as a prisoner is some of the most horrific concentration camps of Nazi Germany. From Dachau to Auschwitz, he faced the horror first hand and learned a fundamental truth that could not be taken from him, even with threat to his life.
The last of human freedoms is the ability to think for yourself—to choose your mindset in any given set of circumstances and decide how you show up.
Are you a victim of circumstance, or a creator of circumstance? This is the dance many of us play in our mindset towards ourselves and our goals. This is where Viktor’s lessons teach us a powerful truth.
During this podcast, I read from Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy here: https://amzn.to/3ZSCAQ7
1:37 - Most of the time our mind is set by our conditions, circumstances and the environment we are born into.
3:18 - Looking for cause in the world of conditions and circumstances for our life is the biggest addiction on our planet.
5:45 - Man’s Search for Meaning is “the classic tribute to hope from the holocaust” written by Viktor Frankl. He writes about his experience in concentration camps like Dachau and Auschwitz.
7:09 - Death in Tehran is a story about apathy and not tempting fate. A common feeling held by many.
8:43 - It is through the power of decisions that we shape our lives. If that power is destroyed by our environment we give up the only power we have.
10:07 - What about human liberty? Do conditions and circumstances rob our free will? Can you escape the influence of your surroundings?
12:01 - “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of h human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances. To choose one’s own way.”
14:26 - There are many different expressions of attitude that still embrace the idea of freedom, such as dignity.
16:19 - We have infinite decisions before us about how we are going to show up. Every single moment has a choice: Do I move closer to my goals and a higher expression of who I want to be, or further away.
19:22 - Living in limbo and uncertainty allowed people to disengage from thinking about the future and begin living day to day.
23:02 - The best way to bring hope to people (in the camp) was to have them look to the future for a goal. Something worth living for. Sometimes you need to force your mind to that task.
24:21 - “And suddenly I saw myself standing on then platform of a well light, warm and pleasant lecture room. In front of my sat an attentive audience. I was giving a lecture on the psychology of the concentration camp.” A goal is not just an idea. It is a picture and image that changes us.
27:19 - What happens to change people and get them re-engaged in their life? Either someone teaches them about the power of their mind; or things get harder and more difficult.
29:33 - You have dreams, passions and desires. You have value to offer. There is an opportunity the universe has custom fit for each one of us. When you find that missing piece, you will find the work that cannot be done by anyone else.
31:53 - What is the work you are called to do that no one else can perform? What are you going to do today to make that a reality.
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