Thank you for joining us for part two of “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl. If you missed yesterday, click here.
However bad the horrors of the concentration camp, Frankl couldn’t help but notice that there were those who seemed to draw strength from a source outside themselves. These persons had made a decision to live, and nothing could sway them from their decision. It was about this time that Frankl himself came to the conclusion that while the guards could control everything he did every day, from what time he got up, had to eat, dressed himself with, and worked on all day, they could not control what went on in his mind. This is the secret that all of the “successful” prisoners had in common: they refused to let their circumstances dictate what they thought.
To quote from the book: “The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity – even under the most difficult circumstances – to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified, and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for man to either make use of or to forego the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.”
While mostly written in a clinical, detached tone of voice, this book brings to light not only the experiences of the camps but helps us, as the reader, evaluate the harshness we’ve had to experience in our own lives and to put it all in perspective. I came away from this book with a tremendous sense of respect for the prisoners of the concentration camps and the courage they showed, as well as a renewed appreciation for all that I do have and with more gratitude. This is an eye-opening book that will change the way you think about the world forever.
(This book was first published in 1959 by Beacon Press.)
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