Between 1942 and 1945 psychiatrist Viktor Frankl labored in four Nazi death camps, including Auschwitz. Afterwards he wrote his legendary book Man’s Search for Meaning in which he argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose.
According to Frankl we can discover meaning in life in three different ways:
1. By experiencing something or encountering someone.
Consciously experiencing nature, art or consciously meeting someone helps to see each day as unique and as a gift instead of consuming life on ‘auto-pilot’.
2. By creating a work or doing a deed.
Life becomes fulfilling when a person feels that he can make a contribution to something that’s bigger than himself.
3. By accepting what we cannot change.
We can change our attitude towards unavoidable suffering. As Frankl wrote: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances”.
This is a description of an article that appeared in the June 2006 issue of The Intelligent Optimist. Members can read the full article here. Non-members can become a member here.
Search for meaning
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