This has by far been the hardest and the most rewarding read for me. The author, Viktor Emil Frankl was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author, and Nazi concentration camp survivor during the Second world war.
This is a part autobiographical account of the author’s experiences in the concentration camp and part introduction to ‘logotherapy’ that he developed. Logotherapy means search for meaning as a central motivational force for human life. He was already working on a manuscript for a book on logotherapy when he was arrested and put in the camp.
In order to preserve his own ‘psychological hygiene’ in the extreme conditions of the camp, he found ways to apply and further his ideas on logotherapy. He observed that those who have a ‘why’ can survive any ‘how’. Physically abled men and women who gave up on life perished while the meekest who kept their wits about them and continued to find meaning survived despite sickness, freezing temperatures, starvation and intense physical labor.
He realized that the forces that be took away everything from the prisoners- their food, clothes, comforts, even their dignity but could not take away their will.
No matter the outward circumstances and conditions, everyone has a choice- to choose their reaction to the circumstances. Those who are able to find a meaning in their suffering can survive in unimaginable conditions.
A few themes stood out for me – how love ceases to be about the physical presence of the beloved. The author was able to bear blows – physical and mental, as he started to picture himself with his beloved wife. He said it didn’t matter whether she was alive or not as she was alive in his thoughts and memories.
Another striking thought – in situations where even small every day decisions could mean either life or death, he stopped judging other prisoners for their actions as he found himself unsure of whether he would do the same under those conditions.
Also, that suffering fills human existence, no matter what kind of suffering it is. There is no comparing one person’s suffering to another’s.
I think everyone should read this book. This is going to stay with me all my life. Just beautiful!
Guidance for thriving in the professional world 