In the book "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl, he talks about ways to find a meaning in life. One of the ones he talked about was creating a work or doing good deeds. One may ask what is their purpose in life, what is the meaning of their existence? And many people have not been able, or have not yet been able to understand, what the meaning of life is for them. Everyone has a purpose and focus of their existence in life, but how can you tell? For some people it means creating, inventing or generating something that can have great meaning in someone else's life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayFor most people, their purpose in life might be to help others, in this sense doing good deeds, how can we know if one is doing good deeds? Some people fail to understand how involved they are in other people's lives. For example, taking care of the elderly, helping the homeless, reaching out to those people suffering from tragic situations or natural disasters; these are things that people consider the purpose of life. Frankl also talked about how he was able to help people in the camp who were thinking of committing suicide get out of the camp. You could say that's his purpose, to help these people who really needed help defining themselves. In many religions, people seek to serve others through faith in God. They believe that if you do good to someone, good things tend to happen to you. It can easily be said that it is the law of karma. Doing good in life is one of the ways people tend to find their purpose. In Frankl's book, he talks about how some guards were kind to the slaves and how the slaves viewed them. Good deeds can be another way to define your worth. You may internally hold yourself above others based on the various acts of charity you have performed throughout your life. This inflated self-esteem can last through many tribulations and is not sought in vain or falsely maintained. In the modern world, charitable acts don't always come from a pure place of heart, or even a background of finding one's purpose. Instead, these actions may just be aimed at inflating one's image in the eyes of the public or making a reference when trying to impress colleagues or employers. Another way people dedicate their lives through a specific job, accomplishment, or service. They will find one thing under which they thrive and will truly sanctify the rest of their thoughts, actions, circle of peers, and topics of discussion beneath it. This type of mindset can include inventions or programs. So, for example, an inventor can base his entire life value on the invention he managed to make. Even if you consider aspects of this person's personal, financial, romantic, social, or even educational background, they can look back on this milestone achievement and nothing else matters. They can still consider themselves very successful people and can always base their self-esteem on this case. Frankl also provides us with an anecdote about the purpose of the tragedy. This book tells the story of a man in deep mourning over the loss of his wife. He was so distressed that he asked Frankl why something like this had to happen to him? Why did his wife have to die before him? Why was he left miserable to mourn his loss in the hellish existence of a concentration camp? He was full of all these questions and couldn't do anything elsethan keep asking why. Frankl helped this man simply by asking him whether he would prefer that his wife die after him and be left in the miserable position in which he found himself. He stopped and said no. The suffering man then realized the positive side of his wife's death. She was not allowed to endure life in the concentration camp without his company, love and protection. Frankl then explains to this man that there was a purpose to this whole event even if it seemed anything but pointless and torturous at first. In the camp, many people thought their lives were over, they felt they had nothing left to live for. Frankl managed to convince some of his fellow prisoners not to surrender and challenged them to find their purpose. Thanks to this many of them were able to withstand the struggle and survive, where there were good deeds in the minds of some and others could think that they had the freedom to return home. But it was hard because they never thought they would see the day when they would return home, as they see many angry people every day. Frankl then informs us that he found his sole purpose in life during his concert experience. He realized that the atmosphere he found himself in gave him the opportunity to help many hopeless people find the will to live during this terrible time. Frankl was given the opportunity to save many suffering, innocent people from committing suicide because they did not understand what they had done to deserve the difficult situation they found themselves in. He was a therapist for these individuals and found his purpose through this situation. Frankl realized that even though he was also suffering, he now had a firm purpose with his knowledge, his skill, his social ability and understanding, and his life in general. Even though he lived a hellish existence, he helped many people find hope. Frankl woke up every day with the aspiration to help others, to bring even a modicum of hope and happiness into the lives of these defeated people. This proved that it is possible to find your purpose even in the most desolate and horrible conditions. All this is based on their self-esteem seen through the works. Frankl knew he was making a difference in people's lives every day, which in turn gave him a reason to get up every day. The disappearance of hope has kept many people strong despite a torturous war experience. Many people also base every single instance and job that comes from their lifestyle. They believe that whatever they do must uphold their belief system and deep religious background. Glory and honor must always be given to their creator and god. When you believe that this type of lifestyle is crucial, you also believe that everything good or bad is directly connected to how much good they did in their last act or creation. If this type of believer doesn't feel like he or she is doing a good job at this point in his or her lifestyle, he or she begins to feel purposeless and depressed. When I look at my life through the different ideals Frankl discusses, I begin to see my long-term purpose more clearly. For me, coming to America was a huge step in my life and was a way to search for meaning in my existence. I came to America as a teenager to play basketball and attend high school. Where I come from, there aren't many kids who have the opportunity I had. Because I have been fortunate enough to be given the lifestyle that I have, I have been able to help other children in my home country of Nigeria. I'm planning to help kids like me through a basketball program, providing shoes and clothes that many of these kids are desperate for.