Man's Search for Meaning

When you read about the history of WWII and other traumatic, grievous times in history, what questions do you ask yourself?

Would I persevere and keep hope alive?

What would I fixate on mentally?

What resources do I have in my inner self?

Would I reach out to others who have less strength and help them?

Between 1942-1945 Frankl labored in 4 different camps, including Auschuitz. Early in 1942 he was offered a Visa to America. He refused, knowing his aging parents needed his help. Then he and his family were deported in September of 1942. Before his deportation, he had already prepared a book for publication on the quest for meaning in life as a key to mental health. Ofcourse, this was destroyed when he was arrested.

Frankls’ book is less about his travels and more about sources of strength to survive. Sadly, his pregnant wife, brother, and parents, all died in the camps. Frankl says in spite of primitiveness, hunger, beatings, seeing death and cruelty, it was possible got spiritual life to deepen. He says inner spiritual life helped people have a refuge. Throughout his experiences he restates that spiritual freedom cannot be taken away.

It makes life meaningful.

Frankl recalls one of the deepest experiences he had in the concentration camp. It was during one of the lowest times for him. He had to surrender his clothes and be given rags of an inmate who had been sent to the gas chamber. In the pocket he found a single page torn out of a Hebrew prayer book with the jewish prayer “Shema Yisrael.” Frankl interpreted such a coincidence as a challenge to live his thoughts instead of merely putting them on paper.

I was very interested to read Frankls’ fight for self preservation and the way he had very regular talks and reflections with himself. He wept over conversations he had with his wife. He reminded himself of memories they had together. He imagined beautiful scenes from Vienna or music he loved. He would write thoughts from his book on small pieces of paper he found. He and fellow prisoners would make up stories together. He would be grateful and thankful for a small morsel of bread he found in his pocket. Giving thanks for a time to delouse before bedtime was important to him.

Believing strongly in reconciliation rather than revenge; he once remarked:

“I do not forget any good deed done to me, and I do not carry a grudge for a bad one.”

This is the best book I have read in a long time!