Passion — Chapter 4 in Aspire
“This is the core of the human spirit… If we can find something to live for—if we can find some meaning to put at the center of our lives—even the worst kind of suffering becomes bearable.” —Victor Frankl
From Chapter 4 in Aspire, we encounter the power of the human spirit through a deeply moving story about Viktor Frankl:
Passion is what sent Viktor Frankl into the hell of the Holocaust. As an esteemed surgeon, psychotherapist, and author, he could see what was happening. It was clear the Nazis would take over his beloved Vienna. He could have left, but he chose to stay because of his deep love for his parents, who could not obtain visas for themselves.
Elly Frankl, Viktor’s second wife, shared the story with a group of us gathered on the outskirts of Vienna in a restaurant that was once the home Ludwig van Beethoven. It was in this very home that Beethoven composed his greatest masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony, while completely deaf.
Beethoven’s final words were ever fitting: “I shall hear in heaven.” He, too, had learned to elegantly master his suffering.
In this chapter, we learn the true meaning of passion, the willingness to suffer for that which we love.
Elly tells how Viktor had arrived home from the American consulate with his travel visa in hand to find a large block of marble sitting on the table. His father had rescued it from a local synagogue that had been destroyed by the Nazis.
This piece of marble was a piece from a tablet bearing a commandment that caused Viktor to make a decision that would impact his life and inspire those of millions around the world for the better for generations to come. Here, you will find out what the commandment said and what he did with his travel visa out of passion.
Suffering for What Matters Most
For a seven-letter word that originated well after most modern dictionaries were established, few words carry more strength and depth than “passion.”
We also learn about passion through Chad Hymas, the quadriplegic man on the handbike who had pedaled 513 miles for 11 days and nights to set a world record and prove to the world that anything is possible.
Read more in Aspire: Discovering Your Purpose Through The Power of Words