Sound Design by Wyz Borrero.
Dear Friends,
In an era where each day can feel like a dark cloud, where many of us wrestle with despair, numbness, nausea, and dismay—feeling as though doom has befallen the world—we at F5 want to pause and offer a moment of solace and reflection.
We live in a time marked by an overwhelming epidemic of power, distorting our perceptions and amplifying narrow narratives. Yet, nothing in this world is simple. Every situation—whether it’s the most advanced science or the pressing challenges we face globally—is rooted in layers of complexity. To truly understand, we must take the time to explore these intricacies, unraveling them with compassion and care.
At moments like these, when the circumstances around us feel beyond our control—the anxieties of conflicts, uncertainties, what will happen next, the unfolding of events—we can remember that, while so much lies outside of our power, one profound freedom remains: the freedom to choose how we will engage with what is happening.
This idea is beautifully embodied in the life of Viktor Frankl, a man who has inspired us and millions of others around the world.
For those unfamiliar, Viktor Frankl was an Austrian Jewish doctor and psychologist who survived the Nazi concentration camps during World War II. After the war, he returned to Vienna to teach and penned his transformative book, Man’s Search for Meaning, a testament to resilience and the human spirit. Frankl also developed Logotherapy, a psychotherapy rooted in the idea that meaning is a central force in life.
If anyone had every reason to despair, it was Frankl. He faced the unfathomable: the loss of his family, his freedom, and every material possession. Yet, even in the depths of such suffering, Frankl famously shared:
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.”
There’s a powerful story Frankl recounts in his book, of being forced to walk for miles in the middle of a brutal winter night. Reduced to skin and bone, his tattered prisoner clothes barely shield him from the cold. His shoes have holes, and he has no socks, leaving his feet wet from the snow. He collapses into the icy road, utterly drained, and for a moment considers how much easier it would be to just stay there. He has no strength left.
And then, a thought flickers: he imagines himself one day standing before a classroom, teaching his future students about the human spirit and its capacity to endure. That vision, that spark of meaning, compels him to pick himself up and keep walking.
Frankl’s story reminds us that even in the most harrowing circumstances, we have the power to choose how we will respond. His life stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the profound strength that comes from finding meaning, even amidst suffering.
We invite you to join us in reflecting on his wisdom. Let’s come together to explore how we can find strength, courage, and connection in a world that so often feels fractured.
With love, compassion, and deep empathy,
The F5 Team