A new view on suffering ❤️‍🩹

What moment of suffering shaped you, and in what ways did you grow?

January 28, 2025

What I found fascinating about Viktor Frankl’s, Man’s Search for Meaning was his view on suffering.

Frankl argues that even when we’re powerless to change our circumstances, we still have the freedom to transform ourselves—to grow, evolve, and turn pain into purpose.

In other words, we can find meaning in our suffering.

Modern culture leaves little room for us to view suffering as something ennobling rather than degrading. But this ability to turn tragedy into triumph is one of the highest expressions of human resilience.

Frankl shares examples, like prisoners of war who described their hardships as periods of profound growth, or a paralyzed man who said, “I broke my neck, it didn’t break me.”

Ultimately, as Frankl so powerfully states, “suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.”

Journal Prompt

Think of a moment of suffering in your life that you’re grateful for. How did it shape you for the better? In what ways did you grow?

Happy journaling,

Kelsey

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