Sunday, 8 June 2014

The Happiness Mantra: Is the ‘pursuit of happiness’ possible?


 Dr. Victor Frankl was a Jewish psychiatrist who survived the horrors of the Auschwitz concentration camp by being compassionate and caring even in that extreme situation. When things got unbearable, he turned his mind to his family and what it would be like when he finally got out. His wife was incarcerated in another camp at Auschwitz where she died but Frank didn’t know this until he was free. Speaking of happiness and success he says: ‘…Happiness, (like success) cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as a byproduct of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: You have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long run – in the long run, I say! – success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.’
                
                                    Victor Frankl; Man’s search for Meaning


Artist: Alia Qunhua, Pic re shared courtesy: http://www.tatucya.com

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