“For the Alleviation of
Suffering of all Beings”
This “merit” is offered as
an intention of loving-kindness
May all beings be
healed,
May all beings be at
peace,
May all beings be free
from suffering
From the Buddhist Tradition
Muller, W. “A Life of Being, Having, and Doing Enough”
2010.
The “Will to Meaning”
The Samurai warriors
defined it well. A life of dedication and honor is a life well spent. To fill
what may feel like a vast space between now and the end of your career as a
family physician can create your life of dedication and honor.
Sigmund Freud once said that the true measure of the adult
personality is from the German, Tzu leben and Tzu arbiten, which
translate easily to love and to work.
However, Viktor Frankl, the famous psychiatrist and an early
disciple of Freud and Adler differed in what he believed to be the ultimate
motivation of our behaviors. He described, after suffering through the loss of
his family and becoming a survivor of a Nazi death camp, that we are ultimately
driven by a “will to meaning “.
Here was a man who lost it
all, but not his vision of human dignity, the dignity of all humans, and the
purpose and intent of living on.
This why to live enhances the will to live. He went
on to say that for those who have this why to live can bear almost any
loss.
That is why the importance of this to helping sick patients
explore their personal why to live is such an important aspect of
holistic patient care.
There is intense meaning to our lives, regardless of the
sometimes-apparent meaninglessness to it. We truly live with intentionality,
which means living with purpose and intent. And with this, sick persons need
your presence to assist them in finding their personal “will to meaning.” Through the years, I have learned by
experience and observation that this deep sense of meaning to our lives helps
us and our patients to live with and through the most painful experiences.
Frankl, V. Man’s Search for Meaning. Pocket
Books; 1946.
Five Simple Questions
Medicine requires skill in
the subtle delineation of diagnostic criterion and the application of complex
scientific findings. Yet, we should return, again and again, to these five
simple questions, developed in this hierarchical order to help us become and
remain balanced and focused on what is most important to us
Who Am I?
Where Do I Come From?
Where Am I Going?
What Do I Love?
What Are My Gifts to the Family of the Earth?
Mueller, W. How Then Shall We Live?: Four
Simple Questions That Reveal the Beauty and Meaning of Our Lives. Bantam Books;
1997.
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