Viktor Frankl wrote a book in 1946 in which he described his experiences in a nazi concentration camp. Man's Search for Meaning is a pretty powerful book. Not just in the painful stories of suffering and loss but in the lessons taken from the experiences. His logotherapy, which came out of these experiences, suggests that: "this striving to find a meaning in one's life is the primary motivational force in man".
So how do we find meaning in life? According to Frankl, the three main avenues to find meaning in life are:
1. Creating a work or doing a deed.
2. Experiencing something or encountering someone
3. Turn a personal tragedy into a triumph
If you are one of those who is always wondering whether you are experiencing life as you should be - always looking for that deeper meaning - this site is here to inspire you to act. By launching your idea or writing that book you are fulfilling #1 above. You are also rewarding yourself psychologically for having the idea in the first place.
If you are looking inward for your meaning, you may not find it. Again, according to Frankl "I wish to stress that the true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or in his own psyche, as though it were a closed system".
To me, this means that you find your meaning by taking action toward an idea or ideal. And that's a key reason for my writing this blog. To nurture my ideas by kicking open a few doors.
I most appreciate the last paragraph in your post...nice reminder to us all!
I'm constantly amazed at where my own inspiration comes from; and, usually, I can trace it back to some action I took to simply get started. You have a great point, and you reference one of the men who impacted my own life when I read his book as a high school teacher.
Finding a "purpose" is much less about overturning a rock in a field, and more about walking through the field in the first place. Thanks!
Posted by: Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA | October 12, 2008 at 06:52 AM
Yep. Is sounds so obvious now, but I spent years writing down all of my dreams and ideas with the hope that my calling would just "hit me" one day. Truth is most of us have to go out and make it happen.
Great comment, Jason. Thanks for stopping by!
Posted by: Tim Tyrell-Smith | October 12, 2008 at 08:21 AM