There is no question as complicated as what the meaning of life is. The meaning of life is as diverse as there are individual personalities in the world. Life is unique to everyone, and has complex various dynamics; therefore there is no particular explanation for the meaning of life rather everyone finds meaning in their lives depending on their personal experiences. More importantly their general approach towards life experiences such as suffering and helplessness, determines what a person learns from these experiences. According to Victor Frankyl, an Austrian humanist, in his book Man’s Search for Meaning, everything can be taken out of a man but one thing; the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s own attitude in any given set of circumstances – to choose one’s own way. His message is one of hope: even in the most absurd, painful and dispiriting of circumstances, life can be given a meaning if we change our attitude towards it.
A lot of people find meaning in their life, while others do not. Finding meaning in life does not consist in living the purpose of one’s life throughout ones entire life, but rather finding a sense of meaning and fulfilment that transcends normal life in various life experiences unique to everyone, such as being a selfless philanthropist, being an advocate for other people’s rights, practicing virtue in one’s daily life, having a strong religious bearing, and looking forward to a reward in the afterlife. In such wise, a person finds the will to live for something else greater than themselves, to find deep-seated happiness in sacrificing one’s own life, time, resources in the help of those who need it. A person can find meaning in a passionate dedication to one’s career and in his endeavors to be the best in that particular field in a way that is satisfying and fulfilling. For instance, in the case of a doctor who works up to late hours to serve any extra patients because he or she finds happiness in giving such a sacrifice, or a lecturer who delivers the best instruction to his or her students because he is passionate about what he does. These people are bound to always do good deeds despite the hardships and discouragement they may encounter in the process. In a word, someone seeks to produce the version of themselves out of what they do in order to know to what lengths they can go to make other people happy and find their own happiness therein.
Personally, I find a lot of meaning in giving out myself selflessly, giving advice, arbitrating conflicts, making peace always, being moderate, and helping others without seeking anything in return, making other people happy in the continual perfection in the practice of virtue and lifestyle to live for that ultimate goal. I find meaning in self-definition of concepts and notions depending on my personal experiences, and remaining neutral and unbiased until I find out facts in order to make a judgement call. I am passionate about helping others who are suffering or and in enlightening the ignorant to improve the quality of their lives. I find meaning in living to find meaning for everything that happens in my life, which has brought me to the question of the essence and meaning of the fabric of existence. Do the events in people’s lives happen out of pure coincidence or are they predestined? And the answer to this critical question lies on the faith and beliefs of the person answering it, which are heavily based on personal experiences.
After reading Franky’s book, I realized what we really need is a fundamental change in our attitude towards life. Furthermore, we need to learn ourselves and who we really are, and to teach despairing men that it did not really matter what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us. Ultimately, we discover that generally, whoever finds meaning for their life, only does so when they go out of their way, to help others. Using one’s humanity for the service of humanity, even though it be helping a single person, though doing it in a way that defies the odds. Our greatest freedom to choose our attitude, and when we can no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. The meaning of life is to give life meaning.
