The Space Between What Happens and How You Respond: A Lesson from Viktor Frankl
About two years ago, during a course I was taking, it was my first time hearing about concentration camps. Concentration camps were places where large groups of people were forcibly held and confined, usually because of their ethnicity, religion, political views, or other targeted identities. During World War II, they were most infamously used by Nazi Germany as part of the events of the Holocaust. People were kept in overcrowded, harsh conditions with very little food, poor sanitation, and limited freedom. Many were subjected to forced labor, and millions lost their lives as a result of the conditions and systematic violence. So we were talking about ethics and some of the extreme things humans have gone through in history, and I remember a few of the stories touched me deeply. It honestly made me pause and wonder how situations like that were ever allowed to happen in the first place. It made me wonder how anyone could ever justify or normalize inflicting such an unquantifiable level of pain on another person. But that’s not the subject of discussion for today. When people talk about World War II, the focus is often on the war itself, the fighting, and the massive loss that came with it. But tucked inside that history is something many people don’t really talk about. Despite the harsh conditions people were subjected to, some persons didn’t give up on life. I know a lot of what happened there wasn’t just physical suffering, but also the loss of identity, freedom, and basic dignity. But in the middle of that reality was a man named Viktor Frankl. Let’s talk about Viktor Frankl. Before the war, Frankl was a neurologist and psychiatrist in Vienna. He spent his early years studying the human mind, particularly what gives life a sense of purpose. Then the war interrupted everything. He was taken into a concentration camp along with his family. Over time, he lost his parents, his brother, and his pregnant wife. The life he had built disappeared piece by piece. He moved through multiple camps and lived under conditions defined by hunger, uncertainty, and constant exposure to suffering. Yet even there, he paid attention, not just to what people were going through, but to how they responded to their experiences. Viktor noticed that, while many people were overwhelmed by the conditions, some still made small, intentional choices about life. Someone would share food even when they barely had enough. Someone would offer a word of comfort to others, even when they were in pain. These actions didn’t change their situation, but they revealed something about the people making them. That observation led him to conclude that even when circumstances are extremely bad, there is still a point at which a person decides how to respond. You have a choice. Yes, you do. Viktor described it as a space between what happens and what you do next. After the war, Viktor returned to Vienna and began rebuilding his life. He continued his work in psychology and developed an approach called logotherapy. Logotherapy is a form of therapy based on the idea that finding meaning in life is the central human drive and a key source of resilience, even in suffering. He also wrote Man’s Search for Meaning, where he documented both his experiences in the camps and the psychological insights that came from them. The book has remained widely read because it speaks to something fundamental about being human. When you reflect on his story, it naturally brings your attention back to your own life. Most people are not facing the kind of extreme conditions Viktor endured, but that doesn’t mean life feels easy. Challenges still show up, plans don’t always work out, relationships can be complicated, and there are moments that feel your world is crushing right before your eyes. In those situations, it’s common to react quickly. Something happens, and the response follows almost immediately. It can feel automatic. But Viktor’s perspective suggests something slightly different. There is a brief moment, sometimes barely noticeable, where a decision is made. It might look like choosing how long to stay in a negative spiral after something goes wrong. I used to be very guilty of this. It might be deciding whether to speak to yourself or others with harshness or with patience. It might be recognizing when a reaction is coming from habit rather than intention. These are not dramatic decisions, but they are consistent ones. Over time, they influence how you experience life. I am not saying you should ignore how you truly or pretend everything is fine. Viktor’s work does not dismiss pain; it acknowledges it directly. His point was that even within difficult experiences, you still have a level of control. You can feel frustrated and still decide what to do next. You can feel disappointed and still choose how you move forward. You can feel uncertain and still take your next step. Viktor’s life shows that what’s happening around you doesn’t fully decide what happens within you. He could have given up on life like most people did. We wouldn’t blame him if he had. But do you know that instead of trying to control everything outside, your attention can shift to how you respond on the inside? That kind of awareness gives you control and helps you respond better. And over time, it can shape the way you live your life. Take this as a reminder not to let what’s happening around you control how you respond to life. I hope this blesses you. Rooting for you, always.
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