Chapter 15
Is “Having Your Needs Met” the Same as “Meaning”?
The short answer is yes. Viktor Frankl says we must have meaning, a purpose outside ourselves to free us of, among other things, self-centeredness and vanity, and a courageous attitude toward inevitable suffering. This condition is contained in what I call the Eight Essential Needs: a belief or devotion to someone or something larger than ourselves; self-awareness; humility; a job compatible with our personality; a mate or reproductive success; belonging and a sense of connection to others; enough time for recreation; and moral character.
For years I taught my students that the Eight Essential Needs were just common sense and common wisdom and that Frankl was teaching a more rarified form of meaning, one that requires more heroism and self-sacrifice. But the more I look at the Eight Essential Needs, especially number one, being devoted to something larger than oneself, and number eight, having moral character, I see in fact that the Eight Essential Needs do fit Frankl’s definition of meaning.
I suppose I can berate myself for my error, or take my newfound understanding as part of the evolution of having the privilege of teaching Viktor Frankl’s masterpiece over the last decade.
I had better choose the latter and move forward.
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