More to Life than Being Happy

This article in the Atlantic struck a chord with me.  It’s about how, in life, searching for meaning can leave people more satisfied than searching for happiness.

As [Viktor Frankl] saw in the [concentration] camps, those who found meaning even in the most horrendous circumstances were far more resilient to suffering than those who did not. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing”.

Meaning, more than happiness, is long-term.  The article describes our modern meaning for happiness as a satisfaction of needs and wants.  When those needs and wants cease to be satisfied, that happiness turns out to have only been temporary.  Meaning in life, the article describes, requires considering more than just the needs and wants of the moment.