Finding Meaning in Life: Victor Frankl
Posted by cranedragon 9 years, 4 months ago to Philosophy
I find this article both challenging and troubling in equal measures.
The emphasis on the importance of meaning in life, and that happiness is the result of decisions made and actions taken, is very Randian, but the reiteration that the differentiation between the happy and the fulfilled is the difference between being a taker [happy] and a giver [fulfilled] is very troubling. The entire realm of achievement, of the purposeful pursuit of a worthy goal, is left out entirely.
I am also troubled that there is no discussion of the rationality of the choice he made -- to forego escape for himself and his wife, when escape was possible, to stay behind [and by extension condemn his wife to the camps with him] to help his parents in their adjustment to the camps. [I acknowledge the good chance that the article garbles his motivation.] Given that his parents would have been able to rely on each other, as well as the likelihood that his parents would not survive the camps anyway, the decision to stay behind does not seem to be to be rational. Even the emotional weight would seem to have swung in favor of his escape, along with his wife, since the contemplation of the survival of their son and the possibility of grandchildren would have given more comfort to his parents than he would have.
The emphasis on the importance of meaning in life, and that happiness is the result of decisions made and actions taken, is very Randian, but the reiteration that the differentiation between the happy and the fulfilled is the difference between being a taker [happy] and a giver [fulfilled] is very troubling. The entire realm of achievement, of the purposeful pursuit of a worthy goal, is left out entirely.
I am also troubled that there is no discussion of the rationality of the choice he made -- to forego escape for himself and his wife, when escape was possible, to stay behind [and by extension condemn his wife to the camps with him] to help his parents in their adjustment to the camps. [I acknowledge the good chance that the article garbles his motivation.] Given that his parents would have been able to rely on each other, as well as the likelihood that his parents would not survive the camps anyway, the decision to stay behind does not seem to be to be rational. Even the emotional weight would seem to have swung in favor of his escape, along with his wife, since the contemplation of the survival of their son and the possibility of grandchildren would have given more comfort to his parents than he would have.
This article is a perfect example of how collectivists take good information and motivations and twist it in a disgusting manner. Unfortunately, not many people have the discrimination to read the article as you did.