by Viktor E. Frankl
Profound hope and truth are born out of tragedy and unspeakable horror
Reviewed by: Beth Williams
Sometimes it's really hard to believe the old saying "everything happens for a reason." You've got to wonder sometimes. Having an avid interest in World War II and the Holocaust, I've always wondered how someone could survive the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp, of watching their loved ones murdered, of living through a thousand more unspeakable acts, and then still move on and live life? Survivors of the Holocaust have always had my utmost respect and admiration. I don't know if I could have lived through such horrors then gone on to lead a productive life. Until I read "Man's Search For Meaning," I didn't know how the survivors could possibly accomplish what seems to me such a massive feat. Victor E. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, managed, in this brutally honest book, to reveal truths that I didn't know existed. "Man's Search For Meaning" has been a popular book for generations throughout the world. Allow yourself the chance to really get reaquainted with life by reading Frankl's masterpiece, and you're likely to feel a profound change after you've finished reading.
You can't control fate. That's the overpowering lesson of Frankl's amazing story. If you allow fate to guide you, you'll be amazed with what happens. By not trying to manipulate his fate, Frankl survived some of the scariest, most dangerous odds. One way Frankl could control his fate, however, was clinging onto hope. A psychiatrist writing a book before he was arrested by the Nazis, Frankl smuggled his manuscript with him into the concentration camp. In the end, he lost it and when he lost his manuscript, he began to lose hope. When he began to compose the manuscript in his head again, Frankl was able to better cope with the hard labor, lack of food and the despair that surrounded him.
The most moving story for me in "Man's Search For Meaning" was without a doubt the story of Frankl and the inspiration his young wife brought to him. Each day, wearing rags and shoes without soles, Frankl had to perform hard labor alongside hundreds of other starving men. He began to speak silently in his mind to his young wife and heard her speak back. He passed the day doing hard labor and conversing silently with his wife. He didn't know if she was dead or alive, but her spirit was there with him, proving the power of true love on the human heart and soul.
Frankl is the man behind logotherapy, a complex, powerful form of thinking. (To summarize logotherapy in a few sentences is neither possible nor would it do Dr. Frankl justice.) I tried one of his methods for taking control over situations, and I was really suprised at how well it worked. For example, there are nights when I can't fall asleep. I know I'm not the only one who lies in bed wide awake thinking, if I fall asleep now, I'll get five hours. If I fall asleep now, I'll get four hours. It never works, and ultimately I'll fall asleep right before the alarm goes off. With logotherapy, Dr. Frankl says to do the opposite. Tell yourself you're going to see how late you can stay up, and it really works. You'll find yourself drifting off in no time.
From discovering the meaning of your life to learning tricks to accomplish things you might never have dreamed possible, you'll find that "Man's Search For Meaning" is a powerful, refreshing book that will make you really stop and think. It might not drive you to make life changing decisions, but you're likely to find that you'll start appreciating the simple things more.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Man's Search For Meaning
Copyright © by Beth Williams, 2003
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