By Paul Rupp
Over the past year, I have moved frequently between exasperation and motivation. In the morning I’m adjusting to a new work role, and by afternoon I’m trying to make sense of the latest political catastrophe. During this time, I have also spent considerable energy thinking about meaning, hope, and purpose. At times these have been hard to see amid the chaos, and I often found myself wondering why I was struggling while others were facing far worse outcomes. It was during one of those moments that my wife recommended I read Viktor Frankl.
Among the many insights in his work, one idea stood out: the relativity of suffering. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl writes, “…suffering completely fills the human soul and conscious mind no matter whether the suffering is great or little.” This felt so profound, especially considering he held this view both before and after surviving WWII concentration camps. I don’t share this to diminish anyone else’s suffering; far from it. Instead, I share it because Frankl goes on to suggest that while suffering may not have inherent meaning, we can create meaning through how we endure and overcome it.
I’ve been thinking about this as we head into the long Thanksgiving weekend and the broader holiday season. Each year, my family goes around the table and asks, “What are you thankful for?” Over the past eight to 12 months, my honest answer often felt like it needed to be as simple as “I’m thankful to be alive.”
Now as I reflect on Frankl’s message, I’m starting to see the picture more clearly—not through rose-colored glasses—but with the determination and clarity that meaning can be found even in struggle. This year, I feel confident saying, “I’m thankful to have the chance to live a life that is meaningful, both in the presence and, more hopefully, in the absence of suffering.”
My hope for our members, their families, and their communities is that each of us finds—even for a moment—a time of joy and meaning during the final weeks of the year.
Paul Rupp is president of HumanistsMN.
1 comment
I love this message, Paul! It isn’t easy to live a meaningful life everyday. Some days are too rough – and it is important to try to do it as often as possible. I recently read Frankl’s book – and remember that he said those who had some hope for the future were more likely to overcome their extreme hardships in the camps, versus those who had clearly given up and hadn’t found a reason to keep trying to live.
Yes, let’s keep spreading the good message and good work of humanists – and find peacefulness and joy when needed, to restore ourselves.