“If you give up on your dreams, what’s left”
Jim Carrey
“Go after your dream, no matter how unattainable others think it is.”
Kushandwizdom
Do you recall when you were a high school senior writing out your dreams and aspirations? Yet, as you’ve lived, some of those dreams have been lost in the shallow of disappointments, grief, bad decisions, mishaps and misdirection’s. Now at this age you think to yourself why bother with a dream that has been hijacked by life’s twists and turns. Man’s Search of Meaning by Viktor Frankl “describes his lessons learned as a holocaust survivor, and how his experiences shaped his understanding of meaning.”
“Man's Search for Meaning is an exploration of how one may find meaning in the most unusual places, even in the horrendous environment that was characteristic of Nazi-Germany concentration camps. He believed that humans were not simply the product of heredity and environment and that they had the ability to make decisions and take responsibility for their own lives.” Viktor Frankl
The book provides readers with insight on how Viktor never gave up on life and his dreams despite being in a concentration camp for three years. His hope for a future was clouded as he witnessed many lives lost, including his family, during the most horrific times of his life -- but he never gave up. Former South African president and civil rights advocate Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to fighting for equality—and ultimately helped topple South Africa's racist system of apartheid. Nelson Mandela was arrested on several occasions and stood trial four times. Ultimately, Mandela spent more than 27 years in prison. Being in prison over 27 years had to be demoralizing and difficult, but Mandela never gave up on his dream of ending apartheid. Mandela once stated: “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
In examining the life of Viktor Frankl and Nelson Mandela it is clear that both had a strong human will not to give up. Furthermore, what can be learned from these men is that the decision to give up or persevere lies within your power. No one takes the power of choice from you. Secondly, if you fall down, you can get back up. No matter what you’ve faced or will face don’t give up on your dream. You must decide to stay in the fight until your dream comes to fruition. Giving up is not an option!
