Well if this isn’t a hot topic these days.
Guess what, no matter what anyone does or says, no matter what circumstances you face, when it comes to your life…
No.
Matter.
What.
Freedom is always available to you. You will find it on the inside.
Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist and medical doctor who survived the Holocaust and Auschwitz (the largest Nazi extermination camp where over 1 million people were tortured and murdered during World War II).
The systematic, methodical extermination of an entire community of beautiful people began by taking away basic human rights–and ended with mass murder. Subtle at first: shaming people for their different beliefs, how they looked, blaming them for societal problems–men, women, children, babies.
It always starts subtly–but unchecked it will not be subtle for long. This is the nature of force.
This is what Dr. Frankl wrote in Man’s Search for Meaning:
“Everything can be taken from a man 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.”
Whatever is happening to you or around you, no one can remove this basic human right from you–your mind is YOURS.
It is toxic, force-based behavior when people try to manipulate, shame or force you to their way of thinking–remember, it always starts subtly and then becomes increasingly aggressive as the ignorant follow the masses–human history repeating itself over and over again.
There are circumstances where you can get out and set boundaries–that is the healthy response. But there are times when you don’t have direct control over what’s happening around you. So how will you respond?
In those instances, remember Dr. Frankl’s words–
We ALL have the power (and the right) to choose our own way. And that power can change the world if we do not allow ourselves to crumble from external pressures.
Think critically. Remain very well and deeply informed–NOT by the media. Understand motivations that drive pressure and force in organizations, societies, and nations. Decide how you will respond.
Respect those who respond differently.
Choose compassion as you stand in your truth.
By doing so, you remain in power and warm the world with your light.
#smashingmidlife #midlifecoach #awareness #perspective #thinkcritically #beempowered #beinformed #powervsforce #freedom
