Man’s Search for Meaning is a book that could change your life. It follows the life of Viktor E. Frankl, who is a psychotherapist and a Holocaust survivor. The main theme in this book is finding meaning in one’s life, even when faced with death or hardships. This book was written by an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist after his experience during World War II at Auschwitz concentration camp where he lost his family members to Nazi executioners.
Chills run down your spine when you read the narration of stories in the concentration camp. The book is the story of struggle, hope and faith. It tells you how to keep your innermost desires alive even when there seems like there’s no chance for a change in life.
The book has two sections-the first section deals with his time spent in concentration camps during World War II while the second part focuses on his theories about finding the meaning of your life.
Originally published in 1946, it was one of the first books to explore the human search for meaning and its relation to living a fulfilling life. Frankl draws on his own experience as an Auschwitz concentration camp survivor, and discusses how it relates to psychology and psychotherapy. He also reveals what he believes are three potential sources – or “gifts” – which every person has at their disposal: love; creative work; and finally, discovering meaning in suffering.
The purpose is not to provide an academic discourse but rather lay out some thoughts about this book that have been helpful to me personally (and hopefully you too). It goes beyond our concepts of success and failure. If you are someone who whines and complains and easily forgets how precious life is, I recommend rereads of this books. I cried my eyes out several times while reading this book, and I am not even the crying types. My personal opinion is that this book needs to be translated in all languages in the world and should read by every human being.
