“The meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment. To put the question in general terms would be comparable to the question posed to a chess champion: “Tell me, Master, what is the best move in the world?” There simply is no such thing as the best or even a good move apart from a particular situation in a game and the particular personality of one’s opponent. The same holds for human existence. One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfilment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.”
I must admit, I am nervous about writing this book review. Will I be able to find the words to make it meaningful and do Viktor E. Frankl’s classic text just a fraction of justice?
So I begin with the extensive quote above, in which Frankl describes the shapeshifting nature behind the meaning of life. It is in the moment, of the moment, for the moment. Tomorrow, that same soaring ideal may not offer you a similar feeling of sustenance.
“Man’s Search for Meaning” is a slight, but towering tome. It’s author, Viktor E. Frankl, is considered to be the father of Logotherapy, often called the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy, since it builds on the work of Freud and Adler.
In the second half of the book, Frankl unpacks the basic tenets of Logotherapy. His paradigm has its root in the Greek word Logos, or “reason” – following the existential reckoning that a life imbued with real meaning is a life that can withstand any hardship, however extreme.
We saw recently, in our article on Ikigai, that meaning has a transformative effect on our attitude. We may find that nothing in our external locus changes, but the realisation of a deep purpose can nourish our outlook and cleanse our thought. This change of attention is enough to become free – we are only ever one thought away from mental clarity and wellbeing.
Frankl shares some brief case studies in which he reframes the struggle of his patients in terms of a stoic meaning. Particularly striking is the story of the grieving husband. This man’s daily struggle was almost overwhelming until Frankl asked him to consider the following. In surviving his wife, had this man not spared her the agony of his passing? In this sense, Frankl’s patient was able to bear his grief, as he had found meaning in it. The same struggle was spared for the wife he so deeply loved.
I found this story to be especially poignant, given the horrors described in the first half of the book. For it is here that Frankl describes the three years he spent in various concentration camps, including the darkly infamous Auschwitz.
At the time of his internment, Frankl had already been formalising Logotherapy for around sixteen years. In the squalor and inhumanity of Auschwitz, Frankl’s theories would be exposed to the sternest of tests – sterner than anyone dare ever imagine.
Frankl describes with skill and a manner of detachment, the three phases of the camp prisoner. First came shock. Then, a strange apathy quickly followed. Frankl describes how the horror of seeing the daily beatings was soon replaced by an acceptance of their inevitability.
The final stage, as Frankl painfully writes, was disillusionment. The author notes that when this stage was reached, death swiftly followed. The certainty of imminent death replaced the former glimmer of hope. Frankl observed that, at this point, the doomed fellow would smoke the last of his hard earning cigarettes. In a life with hope, this item would be kept and exchanged for extra soup.
So, it was through the life purpose of sharing Logotherapy that Frankl found meaning and the thread that tied him to survival. Many of his family were not so lucky. His wife, Tilly passed in Belsen. His father died in Terezin, and his mother and brother were killed in Auschwitz. It is difficult to fathom the grief and guilt that Frankl must have carried after and, indeed, he does not dwell in this.
In the world in which we find ourselves, there is one other colossal lesson the Frankl gives. Under the seismic pressure of facing death on an hourly basis, Frankl describes two extremes. At the one end are the murderous capos, privileged prisoners whose cruelty almost matched that of their captors. One the other extreme, Frankl shows images of men and women who went to their deaths to save others, full of stoicism and peace. Perhaps in these tragic ends, these victims had found their own meaning – in offering the extension of life, and therefore hope, for another loved individual.
The lesson, however, as Frankl states, is one of choice. We always have a choice in how we react to our circumstances – even if they are the most horrific and fearful. It is a sobering thought to bring this article to a close.
“Man’s Search For Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl is one of the most important books that has ever been written. It is moving, yet at the same time, soaringly liberating. It is a fitting tribute, lesson and moral compass. All should, one hopes, get the opportunity to read it. Beauty and affirmation are present in all things.
My closing hope echoes my opening fear. If I have not done this book a fraction of justice and tribute, then it is because my words have failed me. Please forgive me. Perhaps mere words could never be enough.
Love to you all, and I hope you find your meaning.