“It does not matter what we expect from life, but rather
what life expects from us. We need to stop asking about the meaning of life, and
instead think of ourselves as those who are being questioned by life---daily
and hourly.”
Wow. That is a profound statement and insight. By thinking
of our life as a separate entity from ourselves, we suddenly find the tables
turned. We are being questioned by life, not the other way around.
These are from a disturbing and insightful little book I
just finished reading. “Man’s search for meaning,” by Viktor Frankl is a world
wide best seller, having sold more than 12 million copies. Dr. Frankl was in a
great position to ask questions about meaning of life, because he was a
survivor of Nazi concentration camps.
One cannot imagine a fate worse than being herded in a
concentration camp, with death lurking around every corner. Everything is taken
away from you, including your name. You just become a number, to be eliminated
if some sadistic pig decides that you are not worthy of preserving. Gas chamber
is where you go because a bullet is too expensive to be wasted on you.
How does one survive under this condition? As per Dr.
Frankl, who not only survived but also helped others do so, showing the person
a future goal is an important first step. According to Nietzsche, “He who has a
why to live can bear with almost any how.”
“Even if you think you have nothing more to expect from
life, life is still expecting something from you. Something in the future, may
be it is a child waiting for you or a book that you still need to write.”
Frequently, that is not sufficient. To be able to survive,
one needs to change the way one looks at life.
“Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the
right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks, which it constantly sets
for each individual. Thus it is impossible to define the meaning of life in a
general way. Life’s tasks form man’s destiny, which is different and unique for
each individual. When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will
accept suffering as his task. His unique
opportunity lies in the way in which he bears his unique burden.”
It is unlikely that anyone of us will ever end up in a
situation as dire as what Dr. Frankl and his fellow inmates went through.
However, thinking this way about life will help prepare us for the inevitable
challenges we will face.
