What is the relationship between happiness and meaning Why Essay

What is the relationship between happiness and meaning Why - Essay Example In modern times, a parallel to this view becomes most apparent in the philosophical works of Victor Emil Frankl, MD. PhD. Dr.h.c.mult., the most renowned Austrian psychologist. Suffering was the force that strengthened his personality and enriched his character with such grit that he evolved as an individual who retained the ability to feel and express love towards mankind. The three years he spent in Auschwitz, Dachau and other concentration camps in the Nazi Regime, have inflamed his spirit instead of quelling it, thereby transforming him into a most resolute and positive human being. The conscience of most men would have got distorted by what he underwent; but Frankl resurrected from the grueling experience and emerged as a person who found meaning by surviving a terrible experience. He had rendered his services as a professor and director in many medical schools and universities including Harvard. He had also been bestowed with honorary doctorate degrees by 29 universities and has also won several awards. (Life and Work). Frankl had authored a number of books and articles, which were translated in 32 world languages, but the one that is most relevant t o the topic is Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy, published in English in 1963. Frankl’s approach of existentialism is based on three philosophical and psychological concepts: Freedom of Will, Will to Meaning and Meaning in Life. (What is Logotherapy and Existential Analysis?). He promotes the idea that humans can exercise free will to mold their lives, and a person who possesses wisdom that comes from spirituality has full control over how his life shapes up. This ability further equips humans to identify their purposes and to achieve the goal. Those who do not apply their wisdom in understanding the objectives of their life feel that their basic existence is meaningless because searching and finding the meaning of ‘being’ is the