Another milestone: Erecting the Twin Towers of Courage and Faith
Paul T. P. Wong, Ph.D., C. Psych.
President, International Network on Personal Meaning
Coquitlam, B.C., Canada

The launching our new website marks yet another milestone for the INPM in its short history.

Way back in March, 1999, when we first started the INPM website, we had a simple plan in mind: we wanted to reach three audiences with helpful information on the transforming power of meaning: (1) researchers, (2) mental health practitioners, and (3) all those interested in personal and organizational transformation.

Most of the key ingredients were present from the very outset. But we have steadily added features and new contents to our website, all through a labour of love!

We have achieved considerable success in two and half years. Close to 67,700 distinct visitors have come to our website. According to most search engines, we rank among the top ten in many key terms, such as personal meaning, logotherapy, existential psychotherapy, meaning research, positive psychology, etc. We have also been recognized for providing one of the top 10 psychology discussion forums.

Good things are happening. Many have written us, saying that they have found help and inspiration from our website. Many more have complimented us for the rich and relevant information. Comments found in our Guest Book provide just a glimpse of the positive impact of our website.

But we are just scratching the surface, because of limited resources -- we can only do so much with the volunteer work from the Executive Committee. However, you can multiply our efforts a thousand times, and greatly expand the ministry of the INPM website, if you lend us a helping hand.

You may ask: How can I help? Here are some suggestions:
1. Just place www.meaning.ca after your signature for every email you send out.
2. Introduce the website to your friends.
3. Participate in our Positive Living Discussion Forum.
4. Contribute to various departments of our website.
5. Become a member of the INPM.
6. Contribute your technical skills or money to support the INPM website.

Our new website has taken on a more professional look, thanks to the web design done by Domain7. More interactive features will be added in the near future. But, these improvements require professional services and additional funding.
In these trying and turbulent times, many are seeking answers for the larger questions about human existence:

• What is the meaning of life, when all that we depend on for happiness can be destroyed in a split second?
• How can I find healing and recover from the terrible losses of September 11?
• How can I achieve a sense of significance and security in the face of terrorist attacks and death?
• Where are we going as individuals and as a nation?
• Where can we find a new sense of purpose and hope that can survive the most devastating tragedies of life?

The INPM website attempts to provide answers to all these questions - through our featured articles, Positive Living Forums, meaning-centred counseling, and research on the transforming potential of meaning.

From an existential perspective, two of the main pillars of meaning are courage and faith. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to do the right thing, to take risk, and to pursue a worthy goal in the face of adversities and dangers. Faith in not the absence of doubts, but the capacity to believe, trust, and hope in spite of traumatic losses and shattered assumptions.

Whenever I see the images of Ground Zero, I can visualize that out of the ashes and debris, will rise the Twin Towers of Courage and Faith. These new spiritual Twin Towers will transform the cultural landscape of the Western world.

Our new website is dedicated to erecting the Twin Towers of Courage and Faith. Please join us in this urgent and worthy task.