Little: Finding a Meaning, Such as Sacrifice, Can Transform Suffering

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Education, Health & Fitness, Self-improvement

4.7 • 13K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2018

⏱️ 1 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Viktor Frankl makes a profound point: When our actions and experiences have meaning, our suffering is lightened. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Gretchen Rubin and this is a little happier.
0:04.3	Last week I talked about my deep admiration for the brilliant memoir Man Search for Meaning
0:09.0	by Victor Frankl.
0:10.9	In this masterpiece, Frankl relates to story from his psychiatric practice, an elderly man
0:16.2	came to him, a man who was still distraught with grief over the death of his wife two years
0:21.2	before.
0:22.8	Frankl asked, What would have happened if you had died first and your wife would have had
0:28.4	to survive you?
0:30.2	The man answered, Oh, for her this would have been terrible, how she would have suffered.
0:36.3	Frankl responded, You see, such a suffering has been spared to her.
0:41.7	And it was you who have spared her this suffering.
0:44.8	To be sure, at the price that now you have to survive and mourn her.
0:50.0	The man left the office comforted.
0:53.0	Frankl observes, In some way, suffering ceases to be suffering.
0:57.5	At the moment it finds a meaning, such as the meaning of a sacrifice.
1:03.1	It's a profound observation.
1:05.7	I'm Gretchen Rubin and I hope this makes your week a little happier.

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