Sample Discussion Board Post on "The Meaning of Life" with a Spiritual Perspective

Sample Discussion Board Post on "The Meaning of Life" with a Spiritual Perspective

Introduction

Logotherapy is a theory that involves the outlook of human life from a perspective that promotes spiritual well-being that further facilitates healing. It is significantly different from other psychotherapeutic theories because it avoids pathology in practice to concentrate on the psychological and spiritual well-being of people. There are many phenomena that explain the meaning of life ranging from theories to myths. The paper focuses on the search for meaning by man and the implication it creates on spiritual direction and meditation.

How to Find Meaning in Life

According to Frankl, there are three ways in which individuals can search for meaning in life. These include innovation, experience, and attachment of fundamental values to life (Frankl 43). Innovation involves bringing up new aspects in life which can be manifested in the daily nurturing of talents and the addition of value to already existing creations of the world. On the other hand, experience is manifested in learning through the way of life in different environments where an individual lives. People interact, engage in relationships, participate in cultural activities, and such related aspects in life. Learning from the different undertakings in life constitutes experience.  Attaching fundamental values in life can further facilitate understanding of individuals by enabling them to develop the power of managing emotions.

The application of the three aspects to understand the meaning of life reveals two distinct meanings. These include the meaning beyond human proof and the current meaning from day-to-day experiences (Frankl 44). Meaning beyond proof is mainly the one explained using theories and phenomena including creation theories by the holy books and evolution theories by scientists. On the other hand, current meaning involves all observable features of life that people experience in daily activities. No single theory has ever been proven to be correct or not and as such researchers continue to explore the meaning of life.

How to Understand the Meaning of Life

Logotherapy theory states that it is not individuals who question life but life itself questions them on different aspects and undertakings. According to the theory, people must address the issues questioned by life appropriately to create understanding in their minds. In addition, it is important for them to develop mechanisms for analyzing current situations and predicting their potential outcomes in the future (Frankl 46). Life must have substantial meaning for it to create value in mankind. This is because if it lacks value, people will be living in an empty space that creates negative attitudes such as boredom, frustrations, and disappointments. To understand life, the power inside the spirit of a human being must be fully engaged because it has a significant role to play. It creates changes in the life of an individual by triggering creativity that further expounds on the understanding of various phenomena.

Meditation on the Passion of Christ

This is the most suitable meditation for all individuals in the world because it focuses on the most sacred Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this meditation, sinners can be motivated to change their behaviors and start a new way of life (Fr. Ignitius 1). In addition, good people can further increase their attitudes toward moral behaviors. It, therefore, means that Passion for Christ is important to individuals of all kinds and characters in the world. Dachau concentration camp was the first Nazi concentration camp to open in Germany. Most communities in Germany had taken representatives in those camps and all enemies in the camps were removed. Architectural designs used in construction, including ground arrangements were utilized in designing all the other camps that were later constructed. The camps entitled people to slavery that was supervised by the German generals. In addition, they were used as prisons to detain people outsourced from different parts of the world by German authorities. Dachau camps were anti-Christian and detained Catholic priests, deacons, and other religious leaders. Another site in Germany that was used for slavery was Auschwitz where a lot of Jews were killed. In addition, the site was used as a prison, especially for people who were not of the same religion as the Germans (Państwowe Muzeum 1).

Integration of Meaning of Life and Meditation in Passion of Christ

Meditation on Passion for Christ calls for full engagement of the mind in the process of holy thinking to allow transformation into new ways of life (Fr. Ignitius 1). To achieve this holiness, an exercise of meditation is important and is usually divided into different distinctive parts. It is important to understand the mysterious power of people who suffer and the magnitude of suffering and the ability to endure such suffering. In addition, the magnitude of love attached to suffering and the people to whom the suffering is done. Moreover, it is important to ensure that the primary objective of such suffering is to attract the love of other people in the world. This means that Christianity values concentrated on the passion of Christ are directly related to suffering and as such people should always expect it. 

In Germany, people were exposed to suffering and others lost their lives. Understanding life is fundamental to learning all other important attributes in life. The basic principles that nurture good behavior and morals between different people are attributed to the understanding of life. This means that undertaking different tasks in the day-to-day activities of man is based on life experiences. Similarly, meditation in the Passion of Christ is significantly related to human understanding of suffering. Cases of suffering priests and deacons were experienced in German camps and therefore this justifies suffering connected to Christianity.

Conclusion

There are many theories that explain the origin of life and how it is usually manifested in people's daily lives. However, the theories are contradictory and none of them has been justified with absolute certainty. Understanding life is paramount to human advancement and acceptance of who they are. Meditation on the Passion of Christ is a Christian value that requires people to be aware of suffering before they engage in it. People should research the past events of their current undertakings to have a follow-up that can increase their knowledge of what to expect.

Response to Peer’s Post

Dear Jefferson,

I commend you for your attempt in starting a discussion regarding the pursuit of the meaning of life. This deep philosophical topic can encompass various fields, such as biology, ethics, religion , and physics. Thus, the approach will vary depending on the individual. Unfortunately, I found your post lacking substance and a comprehensive structure. You began by defining logotherapy and describing the methods for finding the meaning of life. This part was comprehensive and informational as it helped me understand that you are trying to define the meaning of life through a spiritual perspective. However, the succeeding content was confusing as it failed to integrate logotherapy and meditation on the Passion of Christ. You introduced the meditation on the Passion of Christ and attempted to integrate it with life’s meaning, but failed to do so. What you did was forcibly integrate the two which inevitably led to the paragraphical conclusion of “justified suffering’s relation to Christianity”. At face value, this does not have anything to do with life’s meaning.

Still, I understand that you were trying to imply that suffering can be crucial in one’s journey to find life’s meaning; through suffering, an individual can learn about themselves and those around them. If my understanding of your point is accurate, then I agree with this notion since suffering can be life-changing for individuals. Experiencing poverty allows someone to understand the value of every cent or penny. Being on the brink of death, in a hospital bed, makes someone want to cherish every second of life. Recognizing that you are alone and no one can help you, can give you the courage to fight for yourself and others. Through these sufferings, one can gain a new perspective in life and allow them to create meaning for themselves. Furthermore, if they see suffering through a spiritual lens, such as religious meditations, they are more inclined to associate life’s meaning with spirituality.

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Works Cited

Fr. Ignitius. "How to Meditate on the Passion of Christ." 1985. 28 May 2011 <http://www.catholictradition.org/Passion/passion5.htm>.

Frankl, Victor. Introduction To Viktor Frankl's Logotherapy. Boston: Beachon Press, 1962.

PaństwoweMuzeum. "United Kingdom joins the countries that support the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation." 2011. 28 May 2011 <http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/m/>.