“Life” does not mean something vague, but something very real and concrete, just as life’s tasks are very real and concrete. They form man’s destiny, which is different and unique for every each individual. No man and no destiny can be compared with any other man or any other destiny.
A recently finished a Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl about his survival through various concentration camps. It gives perspective to how bad life can be. Yesterday while I was golfing it was in the 30’s and I had a battery powered sock on, a second heavy sock, and a 3rd standard stock to warm my feet. I said, “My foot is still cold”. A day ago I read that Viktor was sockless wearing shoes that were too small on a frost bitten foot trekking miles through Germany’s winter digging ditches for water pipes. Misunderstanding the fortune of how good we American’s have it in 2021 is appalling. I’ll admit to being guilty practically all time.
A takeaway from the book was the will to live killed many people. It’s a mental state. When considering the conditions of a concentration camp, it’s easy to understand choosing death. In our lives though, it’s your choice if you’re upset or think you have it bad. It’s how you react to life which gives your life meaning.
We can discover the meaning of life in 3 different ways; 1) by creating a work or doing a deed 2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and 3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.
This book helped me understand that my goal is to keep pushing myself forward. The quote I shared at the top gives a uniqueness to everyone’s life. It’s your journey and yours alone. I don’t have the hurdles of being in a concentration camp so I should use what I’m given as proactively as possible. Read more. Exercise frequently. Help others (no guarantee here). Output more. Don’t waste time with activities that are harmful (drinking…). It’s hardly a credo to live by but after reading about what life can be like, I should do the best I can to value mine.
I played yesterday also. I’m old and my feet weren’t cold. Maybe you have a circulation issue.
I probably do.
Another tale from yesterday. We played at 11am and I didn’t eat lunch before or during. At 3pm I was starving and wanted Taco Bell. I turn into huge Christmas traffic and had to wait another hour. Not eating for 8 hours was torture. Notice the sarcasm with relation to the post. We have it good.
I remember reading his book and having similar thoughts. A remarkable man who offers a lot of wisdom. Your first paragraph relates to the Stoic’s practice of negative visualization, where you imagine how much worse life could actually be in that moment. Pain and hardship are inevitable, but we do have a lot of say in how we respond to our suffering.