To the European, it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to 'be happy.' But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to 'be happy.' Once the reason is found, however, one becomes happy automatically. As we see, a human being is not one in pursuit of happiness but rather in search of a reason to become happy, last but not least, through actualizing the potential meaning inherent and dormant in a given situation.
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About Viktor E. Frankl
Viktor E. Frankl was a 20th-century Austrian neurologist. Viktor Emil Frankl was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor, who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force. Logotherapy is part of existential and humanistic psychology theories. Read more on Wikipedia →
Themes
- Happiness — Thoughts on finding joy, contentment, and fulfilment
- Inspirational — Uplifting words to motivate and inspire positive action
- Life — Reflections on the meaning, challenges, and beauty of life