In September 1942, Viktor Frankl, a prominent Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist in Vienna, was arrested and transported to a Nazi concentration camp with his wife and parents. Three years later, when his camp was liberated, most of his family, including his pregnant wife, had perished — but he, prisoner number 119104, had lived. In his bestselling 1946 book, Man’s Search for Meaning, which he wrote in nine days about his experiences in the camps, Frankl concluded that the difference between those who had lived and those who had died came down to one thing: Meaning, an insight he came to early in life. When he was a high school student, one of his science teachers declared to the class, “Life is nothing more than a combustion process, a process of oxidation.” Frankl jumped out of his chair and responded, “Sir, if this is so, then what can be the meaning of life?”
There’s More to Life Than Being Happy
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I loved reading this article. I love stories with hope at their core despite circumstances. I’ve never thought of comparing or contrasting happy with meaning. To me, happy is subjective, and dependent on circumstances. Meaning comes from within and drives our attitudes and reactions to things that happen around us.If my life has meaning, I will still love those happy feelings but even if I’m not all that happy (circumstance based) I can be content and motivated to get through whatever comes – make the best of a worst situation.
i love your concept of Happy Jane – thanks for sharing it with our global audience! I’ve embraced these words by Laura Ingalls Wilder over the years: “The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and
truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple
pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”
I’m going to print that quote and post it over my desk with others that inspire my days. Thank you, Dennis!