Existentialism — Finding meaning in suffering
What does suffering mean to you? For Viktor Frankl and other unfortunate souls, it meant being imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps of Auschwitz. These camps were the most hostile places on earth, full of torture, pain and suffering where chances of surviving were very bleak. Prisoners found themselves rejoicing at the sight of a few peas in an otherwise watery bowl of soup. If that’s the happiest part of someone’s day, it says a lot about how much they’re suffering. Amidst their dreadful plight many contemplated and often committed suicide by running into the electric fences. They lost the will to live, seeing no future for themselves. But a few like Victor Frankl were able to find meaning in their suffering. In a world where people often complain ‘Why me?’, whenever something bad happens, here was a man who could persevere through one of the darkest periods in humankind and find an answer to that question for themselves.
Prior to World War 2, Essentialism was a popular belief among masses. This was the idea that we were born with an essence, something that can be considered as part of a person that defines them. Without that defining quality they cease to be themselves. For instance, the specific sperm and egg that made me are a part of my essence, if it were a different sperm or egg, I would no longer be me. Some philosophers believe that this essence we are born with, gives us purpose and meaning in life. But, the atrocities witnessed during World War 2 really made humanity question this school of thought. Did life really have a predestined meaning if all one experienced perpetual suffering?
After World War 2, the concept of Existentialism became much more widespread. Existentialism is the idea that we are born without a purpose and that we are left to define our own destiny.
The core idea is that ‘Existence precedes Essence’.
We are born first into a meaningless world and we define our own meaning and purpose in due course of the journey. Some think that existentialism is a depressing view of the world as it advocates the notion that the world has no ultimate objective meaning. Others who disagree, see it as a beautiful and liberating philosophy, one that allows them to find potentially infinite amount of meaning in the world and gives them the freedom to define for themselves every second every minute every hour of every day.
Viktor Frankl says Existentialism is what helped him find meaning in his suffering. To quote him,
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”.
Existentialists have the ability to take an adversity and overcome it or empower themselves by giving it meaning. As circumstances change, they give themselves the freedom to change their meanings and attitude. They don’t ask life what its meaning is, but they’re constantly being asked by life and the way they choose to live is their answer.
Frankl argues that humans do not seek a ‘Tensionless State’ as it leads to an ‘Existential vacuum’ which is a complete lack of purpose and meaning in life. It is within this vacuum that the tragic triad — depression, aggression and addiction sow its seeds. I think this quote by Victor beautifully summarizes this concept,
“Between stimulus and response there’s a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”.
Think of it as someone being cut off in rush-hour traffic, in between the impulse and their reaction there’s a space, in this space they have the ability to choose the reaction to that impulse. In the same way, there’s a space between our suffering and our reaction to it we have the ability to choose our reaction and give new meaning to our suffering.
