Month: March 2026

“Everything can be taken from a man [person] but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

This quote is by Viktor Frankl who was an Austrian psychiatrist, neurologist, philosopher, and writer who lived from 1905 to 1997.  During World War II he was imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps.  He survived, and in 1946 he published his book Man’s Search for Meaning, in which he wrote about his experiences and the effects those experiences had on his approach to life.  He also developed a method of psychotherapy that he called logotherapy.  Logotherapy is based on the tenets that people have an innate desire to have free will and to find meaning in their lives.

I have great respect for Frankl.  He not only persevered and survived the horrific treatment of being in concentration camps, he also learned after the war ended that his wife and father died in other concentration camps and that his mother and brother were murdered by the Nazis.  To go through such loss and hardship and to have the inner strength to continue on are awe-inspiring.

When Frankl speaks of the human freedom to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, I think about how challenging that can be.  Even in far less serious situations, it can be difficult to choose our attitude and maintain it although we know it is what we should do. It certainly takes strength of purpose and perseverance and in certain situations it requires us to have courage.  Yet knowing that it is possible to do so, such as by reading Man’s Search for Meaning, can help us. 

One of my prayers is to ask our Creator to help me to keep things in perspective, to catch myself when I think too much about something that isn’t that important, and to remind myself to focus on the things that really matter.  In other words, to choose the attitude our Creator wants me to choose and to try my best to maintain that attitude.

In thinking about choosing our attitude, I’m reminded of the importance of trying to hear our inner voice.  Endeavoring to follow its guidance is what gives us the ability to choose our own way, to use Frankl’s words.  Because when we try to discern and to follow the messages from our inner voice, we can be sure we are following our own way.

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

This quote is by James Baldwin, an American writer and civil rights activist who lived from 1924 to 1987.  He was known for his essays, novels, plays, and poems.

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you know that I care deeply about nurturing children and being positive role models for them.  Doing all we can to help children to have positive experiences in childhood and to become adults who add to what is good and right in our world is one of the most valuable accomplishments we can attain.

There are many influences on the development of children’s personalities, and a major one is their taking in what they see and hear around them.  This leads to the imitation to which Baldwin refers, and it begins in very early childhood.  And although in most cases the people that children see and hear most often are their parents, daycare providers, and teachers, they also are influenced by what other people they are around even occasionally do and say.

That’s why it’s essential that all of us be aware that this happens and do our best to model behaviors that will have positive effects on children.  Are we respectful and courteous when we interact with others?  That includes not only our family members and friends, but others with whom the children see us interact.  Are we patient or impatient?  Are we giving or selfish?  Are we compassionate or uncaring?  Do we respond angrily or do we take a step back when we feel anger rising? 

Of course, all of us make mistakes at times, including when we do or say something that we later wish we hadn’t.  Making mistakes is part of being human.  Rather, I’m referring to our usual ways of responding to people and situations.  If upon self-reflection we find that we habitually act in ways that we don’t want our children to imitate, it’s important to put effort into making changes.  That might include working with a therapist to better understand what underlies those negative tendencies.

Another way that children imitate adults is in seeing how we spend our time.  If we want our children to cooperate in doing household tasks, to not spend so much time looking at websites and playing electronic games, to do a certain amount of exercise to be healthy, to decrease the amount of processed food they eat, it’s essential that we also do those things.  Both because we love our children and want what is best for them, and also because we should love ourselves and want what is best for us.

It takes effort and dedication for us to keep in mind the influence each of us has.  Often we aren’t thinking about that as we go about whatever we’re doing.  It’s important that we want to model positive behaviors because it’s the right way to act for ourselves and also because we care about the children who observe what we say and do.

“I want to thank you, Lord, for life and all that’s in it.  Thank you for the day and for the hour, and the minute.”

We can never say thank you enough to our Creator.  Maya Angelou’s poem is yet another way that gratitude has been expressed to the Divine.  I say “another way” because numerous people who are known for their wisdom and integrity have emphasized in their writing and speaking the importance of being thankful.  I have quoted many of them in other posts I’ve written.

It can be easy to take things for granted as we go about our day and are focused on our various responsibilities.  And yet having people in our lives who love us and whom we love, being healthy, and having talents and abilities are just a few of the many blessings that we need to remind ourselves are gifts from our Creator and that having those gifts helps us every day.

Angelou’s poem is one way that she said thank you to our Creator.  That is something all of us should do each day—give thanks for our blessings, for guidance, for forgiveness, for our faith, and for so much more.