What Viktor Frankl teaches us about meaning, even in suffering
There are lives that hardly make sense when measured by comfort.
And yet, they make profound sense when measured by meaning.
The life of Viktor Frankl is one of them.
A Life Interrupted
Frankl was a psychiatrist.
He had a promising career, a clear path, and a life that by most standards was just beginning to take shape.
Then came the war.
He was sent to Nazi concentration camps, where he lost his parents, his brother, and his pregnant wife. Everything familiar was taken. His work, his home, his future as he had imagined it gone.
What remained was uncertainty in its most brutal form.
And yet, something in him endured.
The Discovery That Changed Everything
While in the camps, Frankl observed something that would later define his life’s work.
Those who survived were not always the strongest.
They were often the ones who found meaning, even in suffering.
He wrote:
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
It was clear to him.
He saw that even when everything external is stripped away, one thing remains:
The ability to choose one’s response.
READ: Maybe You’re Not Lost—Maybe You’re Just Living: A Summer Guide to Finding Your Way
Meaning as a Form of Strength
After the war, Frankl developed what is now known as logotherapy, a psychological approach grounded in the idea that the primary human drive is not pleasure or power—but meaning.
Research in psychology today supports this.
Studies show that individuals who cultivate a sense of purpose tend to experience:
- lower levels of anxiety and depression
- greater resilience under stress
- improved physical health outcomes
Meaning, as it turns out, is something we find within our struggles and drives us.
Living in the Presence of Difficulty
Frankl did not emerge from suffering untouched.
No one does.
But he did not allow suffering to define the entirety of his life.
Instead, he continued.
He wrote. He taught. And he spoke about the possibility of living with dignity, even after unimaginable loss.
His most well-known work, Man’s Search for Meaning, remains one of the most influential reflections on human resilience.
His work offers something enduring, perspective.
What This Means for Us Now
Most lives will never resemble Frankl’s in scale of suffering.
But many will recognize smaller, quieter struggles:
- uncertainty about the future
- illness, either our own or someone we love
- plans that do not unfold as expected
The instinct is often to wait and put life on hold until things improve, resolve, or become clear.
Frankl’s life suggests something else.
That meaning is found within difficulty.
Living Anyway
A meaningful life may look like:
- showing up for people who matter
- continuing small routines
- finding moments of beauty in ordinary days
- choosing kindness, even when it feels undeserved
These simple moments accumulate.
The Harvest
Should we complain that life is never easy?
Maybe, but how do we like it deeper?
Perhaps the most powerful lesson we can carry is this:
That even in the presence of uncertainty, or loss, or limitation,
we are still able to live.
And sometimes, that is where meaning begins.
Photo by Mary Anne Twimbers on Unsplash
References:
Frankl, V. E. (1946). Man’s Search for Meaning.
— Foundational text on meaning and resilience.
Steger, M. F. (2009). Meaning in life and wellbeing.
— Links purpose to mental health.
Park, C. L. (2010). Meaning making in the context of stress.
— Explains how people adapt to adversity.
American Psychological Association (APA). Resilience.
— Defines resilience as adaptive functioning under stress.
