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Three Ways to Find The Meaning of Life [Viktor Frankl]

By Effluo | Published October 29, 2021 | 1 Comment

Why am I here?
What is the meaning of life?
What is my purpose?

These questions have been asked by humanity through millennia. Philosophers, writers, and great thinkers have attempted to provide us with an answer. I could start this post with “Imagine yourself … “, but I will not. Yes, the person that I will be talking about was one of the brightest minds in our history. However, his light had to shine in the darkest place through one of the darkest times of our history. The horrors that this specific person went through, are unimaginable. Nevertheless, he was able to find the answers to the same questions we ask ourselves today.

The person that I am referring to is Viktor E. Frankl. He was a psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor. In his autobiographical work “Man’s Search for Meaning” Viktor Frankl described the horrors of Nazi concentration camps. I am not here to recap these horrors, he put it perfectly when he said,

“We dislike talking about our experiences. No explanations are needed for those who have been inside, and the others will understand neither how we felt then nor how we feel now.”

What I do want to focus on is how he found freedom of thought and meaning of life in a place that took away everything.

The foreword of the book states, “Frankl saw three possible sources for meaning: in work (doing something significant), in love (caring for another person), and in courage during difficult times. Suffering in and of itself is meaningless; we give our suffering meaning by the way in which we respond to it”

In Work – Doing Something Significant

The first source for finding meaning in life is through doing something significant. The meaning of what is significant changes from person to person. Frankl emphasized that there cannot be a universal definition of what that significance is. Whatever it is, it needs to be meaningful to the person. Similarly, throughout the book, Frankl pointed out that there is no abstract meaning of life. Therefore, there cannot be a universal definition of the meaning of life.

Each person is unique, therefore, their specific mission in life is unique. Viktor Frankl explained that we all have problems and tasks set before us. We need to be responsible for finding the right answers to life’s problems and to fulfilling these tasks.

“These tasks, and therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment. Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a general way.”

He emphasized the importance of goal setting.

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.”

In speaking about some of the people he observed he said,

“Man who let himself decline because he could not see any future goal found himself occupied with retrospective thoughts. … They preferred to close their eyes and to live in the past. Life for such people became meaningless.”

Having a goal and work to complete becomes something to look forward to. In an attempt to reach the goal we strive, and struggle, and grow. We find the meaning of our lives through the process of reaching the set goals. As to what goals to set, this is an answer only each individual person can answer. What is important and interesting to you, is what you should be focusing on.

In Love – Caring For Another Person

The second source for finding meaning in life is love. Viktor Frankl said,

“Love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire.”

What does this actually mean and why is it so powerful. If we love another we become fully aware of the very essence of that person. This allows us to see the potential in that person, very often potential that is yet to be actualized. By loving another person you are helping them to reach their higher self. Through this process, we also understand ourselves more. Therefore, his statement that

“the more one forgets himself the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself”

helps us understand the source of the meaning of life as love.

In Courage – During Difficult Times

The third source for meaning can be found in courage that can withstand any suffering. Life can challenge us in different ways, but we always have the freedom to choose how to respond to these challenges.

“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you.”

Through these choices, we discover who we are, we discover what we can withstand, and we become better and stronger as a result. The meaning of life is then defined by the challenges we overcome and the people we become as a result.

Summary

The three seemingly simple areas of focus have intense deep meaning. Through completing tasks set before us by our life’s circumstances, through loving people, and through finding courage in tough times we find meaning and find out what we are capable of. Viktor Frankl quoted Nietzsche a few times through the book stating,

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

This “why” then comes from setting goals to achieve, from supporting and loving people who depend on us, and through finding courage in suffering.

“As each situation in life represents a challenge to man and presents a problem for him to solve, the question of the meaning of life may actually be reversed. Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life, he can only respond by being responsible.”

Viktor E. Frankl

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