Man's Search for Meaning

Written by Summer Intern--Rosie Atkinson

A Quote from Victor Frankl from his book “Man’s Search for Meaning”—a classic.

We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct, 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.

These tasks, and therefore the meaning of life, differ from man to man, and from moment to moment.

This quote really took resonance in the sense that I think a lot of our time, a lot of my time, is not necessarily wasted, but certainly taken up by thinking and dwelling on ideas and things to be done rather than actually doing them. Sometimes it is the best, safest choice to think something through rather than doing it immediately, but many times no harm would be done by simply going for it. Often times I believe the more direct route to a solution is a trial and error strategy as opposed to thinking through every little detail. If you sit and think and plan for too long, the opportune time has passed and your idea may no longer be relevant.