From Crisis of Meaning to Call for Meaning

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Over six years ago I called attention here to what I referred to as the “Crisis of Meaning” in the 21^st century. Ever since, I have used this space as a way to address the existential crisis by advancing the human quest for meaning in life, work, and society. Judging by reader feedback on my posts during this period, I am pleased that my inspirational and aspirational message of meaning has resonated with many people around the world in all walks and stages of life.

This said, the crisis of meaning that I described initially persists and, in recent years, appears to have been exacerbated to almost “pandemic” levels. More people than ever have told me that they find themselves with lives and work that bring them little fulfillment (let alone joy and meaning), that they are uncertain and, in many cases, are actually afraid about what lies ahead for them in a world that has become increasingly complex, confusing, fragile, chaotic, and turbulent.

Against the backdrop of the recent terrorist attack in Israel, along with the dire consequences that are unfolding globally as a result, the fear to which I am referring is fast becoming more widespread than ever before.

But where there is a crisis, there is also opportunity. Hence, a crisis of meaning is also a call for meaning—in our personal lives, in our work, and even in our public policies. Amid the personal and collective suffering that surrounds us, and as we confront this critical and pivotal time in world history, we must still envision and strive for a better, more meaning-full future for humanity.

In his many lectures and speeches, and in a book first published in 1978, the world-renowned psychiatrist and Nazi concentration camp survivor, Viktor E. Frankl, M.D., Ph.D., passionately warned about an “unheard cry for meaning.” He characterized this cry as coming from a combination of depression, aggression, and addiction, societal symptoms that form what Dr. Frankl called a “mass neurotic triad,”¹ a kind of psychological axis of evil in today’s language.

Significantly, the elements of this triad comprised more than simply targets for therapeutic intervention. On the contrary, they were symptomatic of a contemporary world that was missing something; indeed, something vitally important to the nature of human existence itself.

In this regard, the problems of depression, aggression, and addiction, Frankl astutely observed, could be traced, in large part, to an existential vacuum or perception that one’s life appeared to be meaningless. He also observed that the existential vacuum was a widespread phenomenon of the 20^th century and underscored that these conditions were not truly understandable, let alone “treatable,” unless the existential vacuum underlying them was recognized.

Fast forward to today and we can see that the existential vacuum, the problems of depression, aggression, and addiction, and the collective cry for meaning are perhaps more prevalent now than when Dr. Frankl first identified them.

Ultimately, as Viktor Frankl would say, it is meaning that sustains us throughout our lives and can help us confront the problems of depression, aggression, and addiction. It is meaning that will sustain us as we face the challenges of everyday life in our relationships, at work, and with society as a whole—no matter how desperate they may appear or actually be. Now more than ever, it is time to hear humanity’s cry for meaning and do something about it.