They May Have Been Few in Number, But They are Proof

Viktor Frankl, concentration camp survivor reminds us: Who will WE choose to be?

[Scroll down for the English]

KISWAHILI

“Je, nadharia hiyo ni ya kweli ambayo ingetufanya tuamini kwamba mwanadamu si zaidi ya matokeo ya mambo mengi ya masharti na kimazingira—yawe ya asili ya kibiolojia, kisaikolojia au kijamii?

"Je, mwanadamu ni matokeo ya haya tu?...

“Je, mwanadamu hana chaguo la kutenda?

"Matukio ya maisha ya kambi [ya mteso] yanaonyesha kwamba mtu ana chaguo la kutenda. Kulikuwa na mifano ya kutosha, mara nyingi ya asili ya kishujaa, ambayo ilithibitisha kwamba kutojali kunaweza kushinda, kuwashwa kukandamizwa. Mtu anaweza kuhifadhi mabaki ya uhuru wa kiroho, uhuru wa akili, hata katika hali mbaya kama hiyo ya mkazo wa kiakili na wa mwili.

“Sisi tulioishi katika kambi za mateso tunaweza kukumbuka wanaume waliopita kwenye vibanda hivyo wakiwafariji wengine, wakitoa kipande chao cha mwisho cha mkate. Wanaweza kuwa wachache kwa idadi, lakini wanatoa uthibitisho wa kutosha kwamba kila kitu kinaweza kuchukuliwa kutoka kwa mwanadamu isipokuwa kitu kimoja: kuchagua mtazamo wa mtu katika hali yoyote ile, kuchagua njia yake mwenyewe.”

- Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997) alikuwa daktari wa magonjwa ya akili wa Austria, mnusurika wa Holokosti, mwandishi, na profesa.

*** Mmerikani anajiuliza na wasomaji: Je, tunataka kumchagua kuwa nani katika wakati huu? ***

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

“Is that theory true which would have us believe that man is no more than a product of many conditional and environmental factors—be they of a biological, psychological or sociological nature?

“Is man but an accidental product of these?…

“Does man have no choice of action?

“We can answer these questions from experience as well as on principle.

“The experiences of [concentration] camp life show that [one] does have a choice of action. There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which proved that apathy could be overcome, irritability suppressed. [One] can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress.

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

- Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), was an Austrian psychologist, Holocaust survivor, author, and professor

*** Mmerikani asks oneself and readers: Who do we want to choose to be in this moment? ***

---

Kuhusu (About):

KISWAHILI

Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997) alikuwa daktari wa magonjwa ya akili wa Austria, mnusurika wa mauaji ya kimbari yaliyoitwa Holokosti, mwandishi, na profesa. Kutokana na ukatili aliona na alionea katika kambi za mateso, aliendelea kutengeneza mbinu ya kisaikolojia inayojulikana kama tiba ya kisaikolojialogo inaitwa logotherapy ambayo inasema nguvu kuu ya motisha ya mtu binafsi ni kutafuta maana katika maisha.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997) was an Austrian psychologist, Holocaust survivor, author, and professor. Drawing upon the brutality he saw and experienced in the concentration camps, he went on to develop a psychological method known as logotherapy, which says the primary motivation of an individual is to find meaning in life.

---

KISWAHILI: Asante na tutaonana tena,

Mmerikani

ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Thank you and may we see each other again,

Mmerikani

---

Chanzo (source): Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press, 1956 (English edition, original German published 1949), page 65. Kindle Edition.