Our Greatest Freedom (and responsibility)

Viktor Frankl was a neurologist, psychologist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor who wrote the international best-selling book Man’s Search for Meaning (one of my personal favourites!). In this book, Frankl outlines his experience surviving a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, as well as his philosophy on personal freedom and responsibility in the face of life’s most difficult circumstances. This existentialist outlook went on to underpin his own approach to psychotherapy, which emphasized the importance of the meanings we make out of our experiences.

While we don’t all have the same set of circumstances to deal with, there is no person who is untouched by the sometimes harsh realities of life. It’s a universal truth that at certain times we will all experience some degree of pain, suffering, and hardship. The good news is that we don’t have to let our circumstances entirely define our outlook and experience of living.

Frankl’s core message is that we all make meaning out of our experiences – we have our own ways of viewing and interpreting what happens to us – and that can learn to consciously choose how we want to be in the face of adversity. We don’t always have full control over external circumstances, but we always have some degree of freedom to choose how we want to relate to what’s happening – if we assume the responsibility for this power of choice.