For the “Fourth Estate” thread I was searching for a quote I knew Alexander Solzhenitsyn made about the press. In the process I found another of his profound quotes;
Many Americans, which surely includes TBP readers, have seen their savings dwindle. Some may even be living paycheck to paycheck. Yet, none of us have suffered to the extent of Solzhenitsyn’s losing, or being robbed, of “everything”. Although I came damn close with my divorce … I left Michigan with a car, and whatever fit in it …. and not much fits in a Lincoln Mark VIII. Also, I don’t know how “free” a person is who truly has absolutely nothing …. think of a destitute beggar living in the streets of Calcutta. Yet, Solzhenitsyn’s words speak volumes to me, and are an inspiration.
You know I have Ms Feud in my life …….. but I actually can’t stand her namesake. Sigmund’s idea that humans are motivated only, or mostly, by sex and aggression indicates to me he had a small brain, and even smaller dick. Seriously, his whacko ideas have done serious damage to humanity. In terms of Non-Violent Evil Fuckers, I would rank Freud in the Top 5.
I prefer another Austrian, Victor Frankl. He said that a human being’s dominant driving force is to find meaning in life. I agree with that 100%.
By way of background, Frankl did not lead the cushy bourgeois life that Siggy did. Frankl was held prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. He saw his family, friends, and neighbors cornered, captured, and transported to mass murdering sites where they were dehumanized and murdered. He himself was tortured. He, in fact, lost everything … that was his reality.
So, a really good question would be; “What kept Frankl from giving up his relentless fight for his life? Quite simply, he found meaning in his struggle. After his concentration camp experience he published a book called, “Mans Search For Meaning” — a book everyone would benefit from — and here is a nice one line summary; — “He who has a WHY to live for can bear almost any HOW.” Frankl also wrote, “In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.”
Therein is the Power Of Purpose. Whether this government of ours will sink to the lows of Nazism, or Stalin-ism, or Maoism … and implement torture, brutality, and other inhumane actions upon us … well, who knows? But, Purpose will supersede ALL they can do to us. Purpose is what will give us strength to carry on. Purpose will give you the strength to continue despite dire conditions, difficult changes, and deprivations of all sorts. My own mother survived a Russian Concentration Camp by eating boiled bark and grass.
So, when you see your income going down, you’re becoming poorer, and life is getting harder, you might consider that it’s God’s way of setting you free. If that’s true, it’s a Difficult Truth. Most will reject it. But some will embrace it, …. and find a New Purpose.
