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Victor Frankl Proves That Having a Meaning to Life IS The Human Answer
He worked a laborer's jobs, but they also put him in the hospital. He did clandestine work to prevent despondency and suicide among his fellow inmates He never lost the purpose and meaning of his life.
From this, he developed a philosophy of the meaning of life and its accompanying logotherapy.
While Frankl's philosophy and psychology demand a personal responsibility from all of us, it also gives hope to everyone, no matter what the condition might be.
After the camps were liberated by the allies, Frankl wrote his book, Man's Search for Meaning, which is one of the most important and uplifting philosophies that I have discovered.
Victor Frankl "I had wanted simply to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones. And I thought that if the point were demonstrated in a situation as extreme as that in a concentration camp, my book might gain a hearing. I therefore felt responsible for writing down what I had gone through, for I thought it might be helpful to people who are prone to despair."
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
Logotherapy: Victor Frankl's Greatest Contribution to Humankind
Freud believed in the will to pleasure.Adler believed in the will to power.
Frankl believed in the will to meaning. He had suffered more than any of the other two men, but from this he came to believe that not only is meaning essential to human life, but that it is essential that each human is responsible to create his or her own meaning.
Logotherapy is based on these premises.
1. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones.
2. Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.
3. We have freedom to find meaning in what we do, and what we experience, or at least in the stand we take when faced with a situation of unchangeable suffering.
He not only believed in meaning, but believed in personal responsibility for that meaning.
Frankl, in logotherapy cautions against making too much or too little of outward goals. His view of neurosis is that there are two kinds.
The first is hyperintention, a pathological forced intention to some end that make that end unobtainable.
That second is hyper-reflection, an excessive attention to oneself and one's obstacles.
The goal should be balance of intention with a firm and strong sense of one's meaning.
The Meaning of Life:
"Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather 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."
Man's Search for Meaning, p.172
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On Choosing One's Attitude:
"Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose
one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." p.104
"only two races of men exist: decent and non-decent ones. These are found in all races and classes"
People Always Have Control Over Attitude:
"There is also purpose in life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence, an existence restricted by external forces." p.106
From "Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl
"We stumbled on in the darkness, over big stones and through large puddles, along the one road leading from the camp. The accompanying guards kept shouting at us and driving us with the butts of their rifles. Anyone with very sore feet supported himself on his neighbor's arm. Hardly a word was spoken; the icy wind did not encourage talk. Hiding his mouth behind his upturned collar, the man marching next to me whispered suddenly: "If our wives could see us now! I do hope they are better off in their camps and don't know what is happening to us."
That brought thoughts of my own wife to mind. And as we stumbled on for miles, slipping on icy spots, supporting each other time and again, dragging one another up and onward, nothing was said, but we both knew: each of us was thinking of his wife. Occasionally I looked at the sky, where the stars were fading and the pink light of the morning was beginning to spread behind a dark bank of clouds. But my mind clung to my wife's image, imagining it with an uncanny acuteness. I heard her answering me, saw her smile, her frank and encouraging look. Real or not, her look was then more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise.
A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth - that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way - an honorable way - in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory."
This Is the Entrance to Auschwitz, the Notorious Death Camp Where Victor Frankl, Slaved and Developed His Philosophy
I Have Seen Victor Frankl's Philosophy in Other Survivors
On Choosing One's Attitude"Everything can be taken from a man but ...the last of the human freedoms - to choose
one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." p.104
I had a professor in graduate school who had an old European accent. One day I told her about my frustrations with a field work assignment. I was doing a group with women graduating from an Ivy League college. They were suffering angst about their futures. Since they had come from privileged backgrounds and I was struggling to be in school, I had very little patience with their very little problems.
She smiled patiently at me and said, "Ah, I remember how hard it is to graduate, such worries."
Then she told me that she graduated from the University of Warsaw, just before the opening of the Warsaw Ghetto where she was imprisoned. She went from there to Auschwitz where she stayed and literally slaved for the rest of the war.
My mouth dropped open and I couldn't speak for a while, I just listened to her humanity and purpose in life.
I was ashamed. I realized that while the problems of the future Yuppies may look small to me, the biggest hardship I ever had was nothing compared to what she suffered.
I realized then that if she could give honor to these young women and their angst, I could certainly try. This is one of the most important lessons I learned in my career.
My professor's meaning in life was to empathize with and aid other people. Frankl's philosophy and her example has given meaning to my career, or as Frankl would have it, I made it a meaning.
Three Humanitarian's Deaths: Mother Theresa, Princess Diana and Victor Frankl
I have heard that deaths, like other things, come in threes. I remember people commenting that Princess Diana, who worked on many social issues died 5 days before Mother Theresa.No one commented that Victor Frankl died 4 days after Diana.
Deaths of humanitarians came in threes that year.
Princess Diana: 8/31/97
Victor Frankl: 9/4/97
Mother Theresa: 9/5/97
Zuzanna Writes About Her Father, a Survivor
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Eugeniusz Tytyk - An Auschwitz Survivor, My Father, My Hero
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Polish Patriot, Auschwitz Survivor, Fantastic Dad - Great Role Model For Young Generation This lens is about my father - Eugeniusz (Eugene) Tytyk. I created it as my appreciation for his love and to honor his sacrifice as a young Polish patriot du...
Victor Frankl's Sense of Meaning Helped Him Survive the Unsurvivable
He was the living proof of his philosophy of the importance of establishing a meaning for your life.
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What Do You Think Is the Meaning of Life?
What is your meaning? Who decides what it is for you?
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Reply
- Gloris Gloris Nov 4, 2009 @ 7:43 pm
- Hello! I stumbled onto your article googling the image of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana. What a coincidence, the content of your lens, because I heard the exerpt from his book read on the radio, about the night march and his wife's image keeping him going. I never heard the end of the story and wondered, "Did his wife live? Did he?"
So, thanks for telling the rest of the story! And I do so appreciate Frankl's philosophy of meaning to one's life.
I am a Christian and believe we are all "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14) by God's hand for a purpose. " 'I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord...plans to give you hope and a future.' " (Jeremiah 29:11)
I will read Frankl's book now that I've come across it, and the other encouraging lenses you recommended. Thanks, Gloris www.gloriadelia.wordpress.com
p.s. I have a story of someone who also chose to "define his meaning" in horrible circumstances on my blog: http://gloriadelia.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/friday-favorites-3/
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Reply
- JaguarJulie JaguarJulie Jul 18, 2009 @ 3:55 pm
- A wonderfully thoughtful lens! Intriguing -- "Logotherapy is based on these premises. 1. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most miserable ones." -- nicely done my dear!
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- HenryE HenryE May 15, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
- I've read his book twice now and it was wonderful both times! So many different insights. To imagine the things he's been through...so sad, but he's made good come from it.
Henry
www.geothermalexperts.net
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- spirituality spirituality May 10, 2009 @ 10:39 am
- Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
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- Rich_Girl Rich_Girl Mar 31, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
- His book is one of the books that had a great impact on my life.Inspiring lens.
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Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
He suffered horribly as did millions of others. Through his experiences he came to believe that those who survived the camps were those who developed a meaning for their own lives and lived by that meaning, even in the most dire circumstances.
Of course, this did not include those who were put in gas chambers or shot, but among the millions who were worked to death, it was those with the will to meaning that mattered.
While Frankl does describe the conditions and life in Auschwitz, he does this only to prove that what he says is true. That people can decide who and what they will be under any conditions.
Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning
Amazon Price: $10.80 (as of 12/22/2009)
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And you don't have to decide which books to take on vacation! Take them all.
Books by Victor Frankl
Man's Search for Ultimate Meaning
Amazon Price: $10.80 (as of 12/22/2009)
The Will to Meaning: Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy (Meridian)
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 12/22/2009)
Man's Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy
Amazon Price: (as of 12/22/2009)
Jesus and logotherapy;: The ministry of Jesus as interpreted through the psychotherapy of Viktor Frankl
Amazon Price: (as of 12/22/2009)
The Victor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy
- Frankl Institute
- Information about logotherapy and the course of study.
Blogging About the Holocaust
Humanitarians Who Died Just Before and After Victor Frankl
Feed Your Cells Pure Food
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byAbout Margo Arrowsmith
Lensmaster Margo_Arrowsmith has been a member since June 21 2008, has rated 2,016 lenses, favorited 120, and has created 129 lenses from scratch. Margo Arrowsmith donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "Heifer International: The Pay It Foward Entrepreneurial Charity". See all my lenses
My Bio
For Arrowsmith Printing 9/22/08
I was born into a small business, I believe that small business and entrepreneurs are the backbone of America and what has made us great. They are what made us great and will save us in these unsure times. I have never wanted to have a great job. Well, better a great one, than a boring dead end one, and I have had both. But I have never really wanted a job at all.
Don't get me wrong, I am a hard worker. I have worked a full-time job, a part time job and a private practice all at the same time for a lot of years in my past. It isn't the work, its the working for someone else. Never wanted to do that, and I don't understand those who want to do that.
When I was six months old my parents bought their first small town weekly newspaper in Iowa. This was back in the day, back when small town newspapers were not just advertising sheets. Perhaps there are still some of them that are real, I hope so.
So I came by this perverse nature naturally. My path to self employment has been different than theirs, but it has always been my path, my direction.
Growing up in Iowa, in the fifties, I also grew up politically conservative. By the time I was 30 I was radically left. Today? I am proudly liberal and what that means will be clearer as we progress.
However, I have had conflicts about 'taking advantage of people'. I now know that employing people is not automatically taking advantage of them, but it took a while for me to learn that nothing is intrinsically good or bad. Well, almost nothing.
I have educated myself in business, I have a small business and I have used EFT and other energy clearing methods to help me clarify the old conflicts and move forward.
My mission here is to provide a forum for people who want to work independently through one person businesses or through employing others and for whom the betterment of human kind is an important value. My lenses are about offering good products, teaching people about betting their lives, and using the money they make for their pleasure and the benefit of others.
That is how I see business and if you have a similar vision I invite you to my blog www.creatingbusinessenergy.com
Margo Arrowsmith
Raleigh, North Carolina
Mother and Grandmother
Clinincal Social Worker, Coach and Internet Marketer
Interfaith Contemplative Minister
Student of life, business, the human spirit that motivates us to be our best in all circumstances.
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For Arrowsmith Printing 9/22/08
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