I had the opportunity recently to have lunch in Statesboro with Mike Ryan who is the Op-Ed Editor of The Augusta Chronicle. He also happens to be the author of The Last Freedom, a book about the life of Dr. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor. In the book, Dr. Frankl shares a parable: \”A man came upon three stonecutters and asked the firs one what they were doing. \’Cutting stone — what does it look like?\’ the first one sharply replied. He asked the second one, who answered, \’Making a cornerstone, of course!\’ He then asked the third stonecutter what he was doing. This one put down his tools, brushed off his hands and announced proudly, \’Making a cathedral.\”
The parable illustrates that meaning can be found in life, at any time and in all sorts of situations. Dr. Frankl believed that human beings can find meaning in life from 1)creating a work or doing a deed 2)experiencing your values, specifically by loving another person and 3)suffering. He states that \”when faced with unavoidable suffering, one often finds opportunities for great meaning — most prominent among them the opportunity to face up to your suffering with dignity and with a sense of purpose.\”
I believe that is what has happened in my life with the writing of \”Room 939.\” Today I travel to Atlanta to meet with 40 friends of Beth Brannen Chandler\’s at her home to share my message of hope and healing. Dr. Frankl taught that we should not ask what we can expect from life—rather, what life expects of us.
What does life expect of you?