MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Victor E Frankl

This is the book I've been suggested many times by many people. A must read.

The book is about how one finds hope and how one has a choice in life no matter at what situation we're in. It's about experiences at Holocaust and about a therapy called, 'Logotherapy.'

In the first part the author described the experience at a concentration camp. He shared what he learned from that place. He described how fear crawled into their life without a hint of when they'll  enter gas chambers. The gruesome experience by Victor reminds me of how often we complain about petty things in life when the suffering seems to be unimaginable in few people's life.

He writes, "Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing:  the last of the human freedom to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances to choose one's way."

He keeps quoting Nietzsche, describing his therapy.

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

This line is so powerful! Victor keeps quoting this line emphasizing to concentrate on 'why' to live.

These lines by him  strengthened my belief that It's us who should keep creating our life rather than letting life created kk

Precisely, to say,  one of the important things in Logotherapy, is about 'S/he who has a why to live'


Talking about the suffering, he said,
"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 a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him.  And this decides whether he is worthy of his suffferings or not."

I couldn't put in better way!

There were many things to take from this book. I'm glad I finally read this book.