When I ask my students how they feel about 
the criticisms made against Frankl, that 
have come up recently, they take it 
as if I’m the one who is casting doubt 
on his teachings and ideas, and maybe 
I am a little. I’m the one who brought 
it up, but before I can tell what points 
critics have made, they denounce me. 
They tell me that I’ve never been to prison, 
that I don’t know what it’s like to survive 
in a place like that, which is true. I don’t 
know what it’s like and what he means to them, 
so I shut up and just listen to them drive 
forward new conversations about hope. 

Bio: John Brantingham