"There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings"
"Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment"
These are just a couple of powerful lines from Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, a Jewish Psychiatrist published in 1946. I just read the 60th anniversary edition. It is a pity that I didn't read this book earlier but I am grateful that I did now.
The book is really gripping and you cannot put it down as Viktor shares his experiences being a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps and how he shapes his mindset through providential reprieves from getting in to the gas chambers. Throughout the book, Viktor Frankl shares hundreds of life lessons that are applicable for each and everyone of us even today.
If I were to summarize, there are three ways to help us derive meaning in life
1) through the creation of a piece of work or by doing a deed
2) through new experiences or meeting new people
3) and most importantly, through the attitude we take towards suffering because suffering is unavoidable.
"Man's Search for Meaning" is a definite must-read for everyone no matter in what stage of life you are. I would probably go on to say that this is one book that can be read again once every few years to keep our perspectives right.
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