The Meaning of Life
Since the beginning of time, human beings have been plagued with several fundamental questions, including: How did we get here, where are we going, and what is it all about?
One of the most powerful books ever written is Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Viktor Frankl. Dr. Frankl was a successful professional living in Austria in the 1930s. He had a wonderful family and a fulfilling career. It seemed as though life couldn’t get much better. Then, the Nazis invaded his country, killed most of his family, took all his worldly possessions, and put Viktor Frankl in a concentration camp where he stayed for several years.
Existence in a Nazi concentration camp was unimaginable. Fear, depression, and life and death confrontations were a regular part of daily life. As a mental health professional and student of behavior, Dr. Frankl began to observe that some prisoners in the concentration camp withered away and died while others seemed to thrive under the most horrific circumstances. His explanation for the different outcomes between the various prisoners was simple. “When you can’t change your circumstances, you can change yourself.”
Dr. Frankl found that even in the midst of his own physical and mental torture, there was a significant part of his being that his captors could not touch. They could take away his family, his wealth, his career, his comfort, and even his life, but deep inside himself Viktor Frankl found a sense of dignity, honor, and grace that defied his circumstances.
At the end of the war, Dr. Frankl was liberated from the concentration camp and recounted his experiences along with his new psychological theories in his book Man’s Search for Meaning. If you’ve never read Dr. Frankl’s book, I would encourage you to do so as it offers a perspective that is not available anywhere else. Thankfully, few of us will ever be in a position to face the trials and tribulations that Dr. Frankl and the other prisoners in the concentration camps endured. However, all of us have circumstances in our lives that we would wish to change.
Calling on Dr. Frankl’s wisdom, we can always be assured that even when we can’t alter the circumstances around us, we can change ourselves. Nothing in this world can keep anyone from growing and flourishing in their mind, spirit, and soul. While evil people may take much of what we believe to be valuable, they can never deprive us of grace, love, and hope.
As you go through your day today, remember Dr. Frankl and his search for meaning.
Today’s the day!