Summary of : Man's Search For Meaning
This book "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl expresses his experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War 2, and describing his psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positive about, and then immersively imagining that outcome.
This book is divided into two parts. Part one constitutes Frankl's analysis of his experiences in the concentration camps, while Part two introduces his ideas of meaning and his theory called logotherapy.
Let's begin with Part one, At the Time of World War 2 Victor Frankl was kept a prisoner under concentration camp. Concentration camp was a very cold place where prisoners were tortured. All torture was done on people who were fit when brought to concentration camp and those who weren’t fit was immediately thrown to gas chambers to die. Victor Frankl was also brought to this concentration camp where he spent three years. He lost his family. At this worst time Frankl learned to see hope and understand the actual meaning of life.
Frankl used to help many people as he was a doctor by profession. Many people used to die in front of him. Frankl managed to survive because he learned the actual meaning of happiness and also learned various life lessons. One life lesson which made him think was, Frankl gave treatment to a typhus patient. Typhus occurs during war times and famines.
When that patient approached Frankl, patient said to doctor Frankl, " I had a weird dream last night, in that dream I heard a voice which said to me, like I can ask him anything and he will give his answer, so listening to that I asked that voice when I able to move out of this place, when I able to go to my home, when war will end and when all my problems will end? The voice said you will be out of all this by 30th march and you’ll be free.
That patient dreamed all this at the end of February and march has started, hence while sharing this incident with Frankl, that patient was having a smile on his face. That patient hoped that something good will happen by 30th March. But as days passed and 30th was about to come, war wasn’t getting over but was increasing with more force. His chances to getting out from that camp was becoming less and finally got over, after which patient got very sick with high fever by 29th and on 30th he fainted and on 31st march he died, for everyone his reason for death was typhus but Frankl knew that the reason for his death was the hope which he left.
Frankl learned that the patient wasn’t getting the reason for his survival he wasn’t knowing his “why” for his survival, hence he lost his life.
This weird fact was confirmed when other doctors realized that most of the death has occurred between Christmas and New year and the reason for this was most of the people expected that they will be out from this camp. When things were not going as per people's expectations they lost hope and as well as their lives.
Frankl says, we must learn to handle life difficult times. "Why" should be strong, whatever you want to achieve you should know it’s why, like
Why you want to achieve it?
Why you want a successful and happy life? Why you want money?
Thus, having a strong "why" to complete goals is really important and necessary. For all your goals "why" should be clear and if your goal and "why" is not clear then you will not be able to do anything.
In the Part two, Frankl explains LOGOTHERAPY. Logotherapy focuses on the meaning of human existence as well as on man’s search for such a meaning. According to logotherapy, this striving to find a meaning in one’s life is the primary motivational force in man.
Logotherapy tries to make the patient fully aware of his own responsibleness; therefore, it must leave to him the option for what, to what, or to whom he understands himself to be responsible.
According to Frankl, "Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!"
Frankl also says, whenever we face difficult situation as per our thinking, we start reacting and we start hurting ourselves mentally. We start taking pressure and tension, and used to feel frustrated and sometimes we irritate other as well whereas in such situations we should respond instead of reacting.
Frankl is teaching us about this because he has faced such situation in those three years under concentration camp, where he could have died any moment, he wasn’t having food family and friends for his support, so if he can stay in such difficult situation and can respond to such situations positively if he can learn about life meaning and happiness so why can’t we do anything positive for our problems why can’t we stay positive in negative situations?
We can spend our lives by being two person first who stays sad and spoil others mood or by being the second kind of person who is happy for any cause. Frankl doesn't say to be superstitious but asks to find a reason for happiness.
Try to give positive meaning to a particular situation and deal it with trust. This thing will keep you happy mentally and physically which is the most important thing to convert any bad situation in to better one.
Favorite Quotes:
1. When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
2. Live as if you were living a second time, and as though you had acted wrongly the first time.
3. Fear may come true that which one is afraid of.
4. Each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.
5. Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for.
Liked the article? Don't forget to share !
No comments: