J. Davy Crockett III

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, few people take the time to consider where they are going or where they have been—until some personal upheaval jolts their sphere of activities and forces them to focus, however briefly, on the purpose of it all.

Many do not pay much attention to where they are on the road of life until they approach “middle age.” Some face middle age with calm and aplomb. Others, seeing where they are, become anxious—and may even panic.

Tis the season—a time for beautiful music, lovely pageantry, parties, fun and family time, the annual bedlam in shopping malls, specialty stores, discount houses and over the Internet.

The gushing torrent of bad news has become a flood. As each day unfolds it seems that more disturbing developments occur on the world scene. Serious analysts and economists are predicting the collapse of major world currencies. All agree that impending disaster has been brought about by decades of profligate spending at every level of government. This lack of self-discipline, plus widespread corruption in government, has resulted in a sorry state of affairs.

Once, during a trip to the United Kingdom, I had the opportunity to visit the National Gallery in London. This imposing complex of great buildings houses some of the finest examples of art from the Renaissance and earlier periods, along with works of art from more recent times. As I walked through the great galleries and observed the ancient paintings, large and small, I was struck by the recurring theme of most of the works, especially from the Middle Ages up through the 19th century.

In his famous book Man’s Search for Meaning, Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote of his horrific experiences as a survivor of Nazi concentration camps. Frankl, a psychiatrist, approached his imprisonment with a scientist’s analytical mind. He observed that prisoners who had a clear goal or a cause greater than themselves were the ones most likely to carry on and survive, even in the midst of sadistic brutality and cruel deprivation. Those without such a purpose were likely to perish.