01 June 2025

Attitude and Freedom: The Existential Choice

Attitude and Freedom: The Existential Choice - The Choice is Yours...

Attitude and Freedom: The Existential Choice
Reed Cormorant in the Fog : Woodbridge Island, Cape Town


"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ― Viktor Frankl

"One of Viktor Frankl’s most powerful assertions is that, while individuals cannot always control their circumstances, they can always choose their response. This existential freedom - the ability to take a stand toward life’s limitations - is central to both logotherapy and Vernon Chalmers’ photographic philosophy.


Chalmers often photographs in challenging weather or unpredictable wildlife conditions, yet he consistently embraces these obstacles as part of the creative journey. His attitude toward these external limitations reflects Frankl’s assertion that meaning emerges not in the absence of struggle but through it.
Moreover, Chalmers’ personal writings and reflections often touch on themes of resilience, choice, and inner freedom - all echoing Frankl’s existential optimism. By making the conscious choice to see beauty, even when surrounded by uncertainty, Chalmers enacts the freedom that Frankl described as essential to the human spirit..."

Reed cormorant in the fog, Woodbridge Island. Cape Town