This month has been heavy for many Americans. It’s hard to find the right words. The optimistic view is to express gratitude for life. If you’ve been given the opportunity to experience another day, that is a blessing. Then the question becomes, “well, what is the meaning of life for me?”
It’s an appropriate question, and in today’s email, we will learn about the teachings of a famous Austrian psychologist.
“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, to choose one’s own way.”
– Victor E. Frankl
Victor E. Frankl was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor. His therapy practice specializes in helping people find meaning in life through suffering.
Because meaning is a key motivation in life, humans cannot survive without it. Some people believe that “meaning” is a fake idea invented as a defense mechanism. However, it goes beyond reason to a more profound belief that one may live or die for their ideas and values.
When attempting to exercise your right to define meaning, you may become frustrated. This dilemma, known as “existential frustration,” comes when a person has a hard time defining their life’s purpose and finding significance for their existence.
When we try to find significance in our lives, it can sometimes cause more harm than good, resulting in inner stress – but this conflict is necessary for a person to survive.
Accepting the tension that keeps one striving for greater meaning is known as “noö-dynamics” (noös is Greek for the mind), and it’s available to everyone. Dissatisfaction with our accomplishments and a drive to better them both work in our favor because they are manifestations of our “will to meaning.”
Some people deal with feelings of meaninglessness which can send them into a dark hole. This sensation of isolation, characteristic of the present generation, is created by a lack of meaning, leading to boredom, aggressiveness, depression, and addiction. 🙁
Life has different meanings to different people; there is no definite or abstract meaning for life, only a relative ever-changing one. Therefore, we can only define life’s purpose in a given time, circumstance, or person. So don’t ask, “what is life?” but instead ask, “what is life for me?”
I hope this email acts as a brick being laid on your stairway to success.
Keep going!
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