I promised a friend that I will do a book review on Man's Search for Meaning, by a holocaust survivor Mr Viktor Frankl who went on to become a world renowned psychiatrist. I brought this really meaningful book, Man's Search for Meaning back in 2004 when my lecturer at NUS highly recommended this book during the compulsory course Understanding HR in the New Economy in final year course.
There are many takeaways from this inspiring book. How do you find the strength to live in a fearful and derelict conditions and also witnessing and experiencing horrendous atrocity in a confined concentration camp? Do you just give up or live with the hope that one day you will get back your freedom? In the concentration camp, new arrivals were stripped naked and everything was taken away from them. Clothes and material things don't make you, character do. Every material thing can be taken away from you but not who you are intrinsically.
There is also something that Cannot be taken away. What remains is "the last of human freedoms"- the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances." You don't blame others but you can take action to improve Your one life on this planet earth. Your attitude will decide how you response and take action. Viktor Frankl could just give up and languish in that horrendous and unpredictable condition but he did not give up but still gave his best in doing what was necessary. Do the right thing. Your conscience 良心 will tell you that you have done the right thing when the heaviness from your heart has dissipated.
There is also an interesting question like do you let fate takes it course or just grab the opportunity given to you? Viktor Frankl shared that he decided to let fate takes it course as shown on page 75 below instead of accepting his friend's offer to get his name crossed off the list that was supposedly send to the rest camp but nobody believed it and they thought it would be send to the gas ovens. Fortunately for him, he did go to the rest camp and survived to write this International best selling book. Sometimes I think it depends on destiny and luck too if you make the right choice to let fate takes it course or be proactive in grabbing the opportunity. Viktor Frankl actually chose both in different situations.
There are also inspiring quotes from this book . He shared Nietzsche's words,
" He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how". One needs to have a why or aim for their lives in order to strengthen them to bear the how of their existence. What is your purpose? There needs to be an important change in our attitude toward life. It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us.
He also talked about taking Right action and right conduct. To find meaning in suffering for example how to turn one's predicament into a human achievement or making the suffering less painful.
.jpg)
