What Is the Meaning of Your Life?
– If we possess a why of life, we can put up with almost any how. – Friedrich Nietzsche
In the Concentration Camp of Death…
World War II was the most widespread and devastating war in human history.
What made this war even more horrifying were the Jewish concentration camps.
Among them, the most notorious was Auschwitz. It's estimated that 2.5 to 4 million Jews died in that camp alone. It was truly a death camp.
While many lost their lives in the gas chambers, the overall conditions in the camp were already enough to cause death.
Unhygienic facilities, terrible food, and shelters with no insulation or heating meant countless people died from disease and starvation.
An Austrian-born Jewish psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, who was imprisoned in the camp, discovered something astonishing while hearing the story of the camp’s Jewish doctor.
Between Christmas of 1944 and New Year’s 1945, the death rate in the camp spiked to an unprecedented level.
Surprisingly, the reason wasn’t due to forced labor, poor food, bad weather, or disease—all of which were constant.
Frankl believed the cause was the loss of meaning in life.
Many prisoners clung to the faint hope that they might be released by Christmas. When that day passed without news or freedom, they lost hope and fell into despair.
Those who lost the meaning to live also lost physical strength and resistance, eventually dying from illness or malnutrition.
Searching for the Meaning of Life…
Could losing the meaning of life really lead to death? Yes. In fact, studies support this.
According to research by Philip and colleagues at UC San Diego, people’s desire to live can actually help extend life—if only for a short while.
For example, the mortality rate among elderly Chinese women drops just before major festivals and rises afterward.
Among Jews, deaths decrease by 31% before Passover, their biggest holiday, and increase just after.
Another well-known example is the British physicist Stephen Hawking.
At the age of 21, while pursuing a PhD, he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
This disease destroys the motor neurons that control movement, leading to muscle wasting and weakness.
Although the cause is still unknown, it usually progresses quickly, and many die within a few years. Hawking’s doctors told him he had only 1–2 years to live.
But Hawking didn’t give up. He immersed himself in research and study.
Amazingly, he continued to lead an active academic life for decades.
Many say his long survival was pure luck. But was it really? If so, then Hawking was someone who turned chance into necessity. And that necessity was closely tied to the meaning of his life.
Logotherapy…
After the war, Viktor Frankl returned to his profession as a psychiatrist and developed a new psychotherapy method called logotherapy (meaning therapy).
He understood just how essential meaning is for humans.
He believed that all psychological suffering comes from a loss of meaning, and that helping people find purpose could lead them out of despair and into true happiness.
And it worked.
To this day, countless psychologists, psychiatrists, spiritual leaders, and teachers around the world have applied and proven the effectiveness of his theory.
Frankl believed that humans are inherently meaning-seeking beings.
You could say he was a positive psychologist who wanted to make human life more beautiful and fulfilling.
So here it is—how to fill your life with positivity.
What is the meaning of your life?
What is the meaning behind the work you do?
What meaning lies in the pain you've experienced?
What meaning does your past hold?
Keep asking yourself these questions, again and again—and try to find your answers.
Your health buddy is here for you. Wishing you a healthy and happy day ahead. Stay well!💖
This content is for informational purposes only and does not hold any individual or entity legally responsible. For accurate diagnosis and treatment of symptoms, please visit a nearby medical institution. This does not represent my final medical opinion and may vary depending on specific circumstances and evolving medical perspectives.
