Man's Search for Meaning
- Madeline Dawn
- Nov 9, 2019
- 3 min read
I have not completely read a book well over a year. I have always preached about how I love to read but I just really do not have time for it. I know this is a lame excuse that many people give. I think the real reason is that I did not prioritize reading and made it a much harder task than it had to be. I would also start a book but then never really get into it and finish it. Well, this week changed that.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl has quickly jumped the ranks to be one of my favorite books. I bought this literary masterpiece at the bookstore of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Frankl is a neurologist and psychiatrist that survived the Holocaust. This book is a different take on personal stories of the Holocaust because it instead looks at the mentality and minds of the prisoners. His psychology background really shows through as he places you in the mindset of the prisoners and how they survived. The question of “how did these people mentally survive these camps” has been one that has been looming in my mind for a while. I myself do not think that I could have been that mentally strong to keep going with life if I was in that situation. My question was answered when he introduced the idea that “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how’”. This was really powerful to me because this made me start wondering why I am living. I concluded that why I am living is because of God. God gave me many gifts and people that I love. I am staying alive so that I can continue to grow in these relationships with Him and with those whom I love. Love was another big theme in Frankl’s book. The love for his wife and the love for his work is something that helped to carry him through the concentration camps. Love really does set one free and makes everything seem better. It is the only way to truly know the core of a person and of a thing.
Frankl is an interesting man because he is one of the founders of logotherapy which is the will of meaning. This type of therapy is under the existentialist viewpoint in which the belief that the lack of meaning in life is the ultimate stressor and cause of many problems in our lives. Past the fascinating psychology aspect, Frankl skillfully placed so many realizations and lessons throughout the book. On every page, I found a few words of a line that cut me to the core. Studying abroad for me has been tumultuous and I can see and feel myself changing. The meaning of life has always been a mystery to me. It is hard to take this huge, broad idea and boil it down to something that pertains to every living being. I enjoyed that Frankl took this fear of the meaning of life and annexed that idea. Frankl expanded and said that meaning can change every moment of life and pertains specifically to that person. I found this to be calming as I can put to rest the task of trying to explain the meaning of life. My meaning comes in my identity as a child of God and I know that He knows my meaning. I am meant to serve God and through this, I will fulfill what I am supposed to and find my happiness.
I really do recommend this book to everyone. It goes beyond the “typical” Holocaust story and delves deeper. The first edition of this book was written in 1946 but holds the same amount of truth still today. I do not know if this reflects my search for meaning in my life, the unhappiness of society around me, or the immense skill of Frankl to touch the core of human existence, but this book is truly a literary masterpiece. This is a book that I have already marked up and will always hold dear to my heart. If you are not a big reader, I urge you to just click on the link below which will bring you a (very long) list of the amazing quotes that come from this book.
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” -Victor Frankl
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