Schopenhauer's View Of Suffering

On the topic of the meaningfulness of life, philosophers Viktor Frankl and Arthur Schopenhauer hold very different yet intrinsically similar views. Schopenhauer was a german philosopher who did not gain much recognition during his lifetime, however, is currently regarded as one of the first western philosophers to embrace and accept the ideologies of the Buddha. Schopenhauer lived in the 1800s, during which time he made many efforts in order to gain widespread acceptance of his views regarding the meaning of life, as addressed in his 1850 novel, On The Suffering of the World. Schopenhauer believed that life is full of suffering, however, suffering is essential. Without suffering, humankind will still remain unhappy, says Schopenhauer. This
Their health continually deteriorated until they fell victim to their circumstances due to the fact that they were not mentally equipped to withstand hardship. In order to avoid this, one must never forget what their driving force is. For some, it is a career, or their education, and for others, their main motivator may be love. This viewpoint is drastically different from that set forth by Schopenhauer, who believed that life is full of suffering, therefore it is pointless rather than Frankl’s view, which is that life is full of suffering, yet the only way to cope and to find ease is by finding a meaning behind that suffering. For Frankl, that driving force during his time in the concentration camp was not only his love for his wife, but also his eagerness to survive in order to share his experience with others, and hopefully bring positive change into the lives of
Holding high expectations in life is bound to lead to disappointment, therefore one must keep in mind that disappointment and suffering are inevitable, which is actually quite a liberating approach to life in some ways. Ultimately however, Schopenhauer's view of whether or not life has meaning is not one that should be completely taken seriously, as doing so may hinder one's ability to look past any current unfortunate circumstances and strive for better. Regarding misery, and how to effectively cope with hard circumstances, one could easily seek solace in the personal testimony of Victor Frankl. Many have done so, and use his positive and healthy mindset towards their own lives with rewarding results. Following the philosophy of Schopenhauer, one may become complacent, or indifferent about their situation. This may lead to one not do anything to change their circumstances, as they would believe that trying to achieve happiness is futile and that suffering is just another part of life one must have to adapt