A life built on comfort cannot give a person meaning

Real purpose comes from responsibility, sacrifice and serving something larger than oneself

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In a 1979 interview, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl warned that a generation raised in comfort risked losing its sense of purpose. At 63, I can see how right he was, and how many of us still struggle to understand that a meaningful life depends on responsibility, sacrifice and caring beyond ourselves.

Frankl recognized that we were pampered. All of our physical needs were met and there was no need to struggle. We became what musician and poet Richard Hell called “The Blank Generation.”

The reason for our listlessness is what Frankl referred to as “the unheard cry for meaning.” He said that power, prestige, pleasure and comfort do not satisfy a person’s fundamental need “to find and fulfill a meaning in his life, or for that matter, in each single life situation confronting him. If there is a meaning to fulfill, if he is aware, if he becomes cognizant of such a meaning, then he’s ready to suffer, he’s ready to offer sacrifices, he is ready to undergo tension, stress and so forth, without any harm being done to his health.”

I recognize that I am one of the fortunate people of my generation who embraced the unprecedented privilege I was handed and found something meaningful, something to live for. But where do we find this meaning?

Books by Victor Frankl

• Man’s Search for Meaning (1946)

• The Unheard Cry for Meaning (1978)

• The Will to Meaning (1969)

• The Doctor and the Soul (1946)

• Psychotherapy and Existentialism (1967)

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance claims to understand the concept of ordo amoris, Latin for order of love, expressed by the 13th-century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. “You love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then after that you can focus on and prioritize the rest of the world.”

I have never lived according to that ideal. It has always struck me as narrow, even though, like any parent, I would do anything for my children’s well-being and safety. At the same time, I understand that every loving parent in the world wants the same for their children.

I also want to create a world where every child has the same ability to grow up in safety and freedom, to have enough food to eat and the opportunity for a great education that my children have had. Trying to create this world, regardless of how elusive and idealistic it may seem, has brought tremendous meaning and joy to my life.

Another person of my generation who does not appear to have succumbed to meaninglessness expressed a similar perspective. In response to Vance’s interpretation, Pope Leo XIV said, “The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ (cf. Lk 10:25-37), that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”

There is a special quality in a person who lives with meaning. As Frankl articulated, she is ready to offer sacrifice, to undergo hardship and tension, criticism and persecution and still maintain an inner calm and peacefulness. You can see this steadiness in anyone who believes their life serves a purpose beyond themselves.

As an educator, I recognize the importance of Frankl’s message for my students. He states, “What young people need are ideals and challenges.”

I try to convey to each student that they are a unique and amazing gift. Our sad and broken world is in much need of their goodness. It is my greatest hope that, in the decades to come, they too will be able to look back on their lives and recognize the meaningfulness of their efforts.

Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.