THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO SEARCH ITS MEANING

 I just read with delight and for the third time Victor E. Frankl's book, The Unheard Cry for Meaning (Psychotherapy and Humanism). Frankl states that, besides love and work, life never ceases to have meaning. According to Freud, love and work are the pillars of our humanity; however, according to Frankl, our main purpose is to search for the meaning of life even without an occupation or a lover to show us the way. The real task is to discover the meaning of existence in situations that only emanate despair. Even on the stormy nights of our life, if we look hard enough, we will discover the meaning of our suffering. Frankl’s thesis is something that, after professional successes and failures, deep and hopeless loves, I had also inferred. The true meaning of life has to do with suffering because suffering is the window to true knowledge. In other words, if we are able to live our days of pain with courage and the will to overcome them, we will be transforming our soul into a virtuous soul. In other words, our true life purpose should be the transformation of our soul into an impeccable soul. Still, what is an impeccable soul? An impeccable soul inhabits a being that is always ready to assist those in need, no matter if friend or foe; it’s a soul that shares what life gave him/her with those who have less; he/she never lies because he/she knows that lying prevents others from making a correct choice; he/she takes charge of the tasks delegated by life and does so responsibly; but more than that, he/she is grateful for everything he/she has received and that others lack. In other words, it is a soul cleansed of envy and resentment, the need for revenge and the desire for material goods in excess. Transforming ourselves into impeccable souls, in addition to the peace it provides us, has another unique benefit: knowing that when we travel the right path, everything falls into place.

5Maria S. Viale, Donna Katz Maples and 3 others

DANIEL, MI COMPAŇERO DE COLEGIO

El otro día se me ocurrió mirar una fotografía de la época de cuando iba al colegio; sería cuando tenía unos catorce años. Este era un colegio mixto en el que, a pesar de estar ubicado en Buenos Aires, en vez de aprender castellano, aprendíamos francés. Tal había sido la decisión de mis padres, y allí fui sin protestar. Resultó que, además de aprender francés como una francesa, me hice los mejores amigos que tuve en la vida. Esos fueron años mágicos que todavía conservo en la memoria como un tesoro al que recurro en mis horas de soledad. Aquellas horas transcurridas con mis compañeros de aula

me acompañarán hasta el último día. Pero a lo que me quería referir era que, a través de Facebook, me volví a conectar con uno de ellos; se llama Daniel. Si bien de joven era un poco distante, era sin duda uno de los mejores alumnos de la clase. Cuando le mandé un mensaje para preguntarle si él era el Daniel que yo buscaba, y me contestó que sí, sentí que había vuelto a recuperar un pedazo de mi pasado. A los pocos días de habernos contactado decidimos enviarnos un breve resumen de nuestras vidas en los últimos cincuenta años; y al leer el suyo volví a encontrarme una vez más en aquella construcción antigua de la calle 3 de Febrero, donde transcurrió la mayor parte de mi infancia y adolescencia. Me dije entonces que amigos como los que compartieron con nosotros infinidad de horas en el silencio de un aula no volveremos a tener. Tendremos otros amigos, diferentes, más maduros, pero que no sentirán por nosotros ese afecto de hermanos que recibíamos en el aula del colegio. Y así es la vida: cuando la infancia termina, lo que empieza es una jornada profundamente diferente. 

 

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE IS TO SEARCH ITS MEANING

 I just read with delight and for the third time Victor E. Frankl's book, The Unheard Cry for Meaning (Psychotherapy and Humanism). Frankl states that, besides love and work, life never ceases to have meaning. According to Freud, love and work are the pillars of our humanity; however, according to Frankl, our main purpose is to search for the meaning of life even without an occupation or a lover to show us the way. The real task is to discover the meaning of existence in situations that only emanate despair. Even on the stormy nights of our life, if we look hard enough, we will discover the meaning of our suffering. Frankl’s thesis is something that, after professional successes and failures, deep and hopeless loves, I had also inferred. The true meaning of life has to do with suffering because suffering is the window to true knowledge. In other words, if we are able to live our days of pain with courage and the will to overcome them, we will be transforming our soul into a virtuous soul. In other words, our true life purpose should be the transformation of our soul into an impeccable soul. Still, what is an impeccable soul? An impeccable soul inhabits a being that is always ready to assist those in need, no matter if friend or foe; it’s a soul that shares what life gave him/her with those who have less; he/she never lies because he/she knows that lying prevents others from making a correct choice; he/she takes charge of the tasks delegated by life and does so responsibly; but more than that, he/she is grateful for everything he/she has received and that others lack. In other words, it is a soul cleansed of envy, resentment, the need for revenge, and the desire for material goods in excess. Transforming ourselves into impeccable souls, in addition to the peace it provides us, has another unique benefit: knowing that when we travel the right path, everything falls into place.