Strength of Character

We don’t always get to choose the conditions under which we live, and many things can be thrust upon us that are both unpleasant and unwanted.

But whatever the circumstances, we still have control over our own actions.

It can be very easy to blame our own poor behaviour on outside circumstances, but the truth is our actions are always our own, and the more difficult the situation, the greater the character that is shown by acting with love and grace.

Viktor Frankl didn’t write these words flippantly from the comfort of an easy life, but rather on reflection from 3 years spent in some of the worst conditions imaginable: as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps.

Frankl knows what he’s talking about, and his experience and words are well to remember when life is hard and we instinctively want to lash out.

We don’t always get to choose our circumstances, but we can always choose who we are.