Is there a single meaning to life?
Nope! What a relief.
There are certain questions that we all contemplate from time to time.
Who am I?
Why am I here?
What is my purpose?
What is the meaning of life?
But we don't ask these often enough.
They can be intimidating to ponder.
So we would rather not be bothered.
It can feel depressing to not have answers.
But sometimes just asking questions is more important than discovering answers.
So maybe we should bother.
Viktor Frankl was forced to contemplate "What gives life meaning?" when he was sent to the most infamous concentration camp during WWII - Auschwitz.
He was an Austrian jew who, against all odds, survived one of the greatest tragedies of all time.
Wild to remember that was only 80 years ago.
And after his release, wrote what has become one of my top 3 books I have ever read - "Man's Search For Meaning".
He somehow wrote the entire book in just NINE days. It has taken me that long to write this post.
He was a scientist prior to becoming a prisoner. But he used that to his advantage by observing those around him (and himself) while suffering the daily atrocities of camp life.
He started to notice what separated those who were able to continue on from those who could not. But he never judged. Which was key.
He said, "No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether in a similar situation he might not have done the same."
The dire circumstances he faced on a daily basis did not guarantee death. Although the odds were not in his favor.
Everything was taken from him.
Except one thing.
The ability to choose his attitude.
Whoa.
That was such an eye-opener to me.
So many things feel out of our control.
But we always have control over our response.
And if you are reading this I highly doubt you will ever face the level of complete despair that Viktor did. Yet he continued on. So why can't you? Do you really have any excuse not to?
He learned that suffering is unavoidable. Instead, he learned how to suffer with dignity.
And found a way to turn that suffering into an opportunity for growth.
Post-traumatic growth.
We all face suffering. And we typically try to avoid it.
But what if we changed our perspective? And found a way to not only survive it, but to become better because of it.
I don't think there is a single meaning to life. It changes from person to person and from moment to moment.
What is the meaning of your life in this moment?
Obviously to finish reading this post.
What is the meaning after that? Only you can decide.
Instead of taking the nihilist perspective (life has no meaning), try taking Viktor's perspective.
It is your decision.
To discover what is meaningful to you and to pursue that. Day by day. Hour by hour. Minute by minute.
As long as it has meaning to you. Then that is a good start.
Here's a link if you want to buy the book (not an affiliate link). Just want to save you some time.