Man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl | Book review

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Do we really understand the meaning when we talk about life, love and hope? We think we do in our comfortable lives and petty problems. But can we still find meaning in life, love and hope even in a state of absolute despair, in hopelessness, in the face of death? ⁣

This is probably the greatest inspirational book ever written. I'm so glad I read this book last month. I'm moved. Here is a story of a person who survived the holocaust because of his indomitable spirit and conviction. But you wonder what gave him such courage and conviction when people around him were dying of hunger, of torture, of losing their minds. How did he find hope in such a hopeless place? How did he survive when there were no conceivable ways of surviving? Here are some of my biggest takeaways:⁣
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~ INTENSIFICATION OF INNER LIFE. When you are faced with a concentration-camp-like situation, the only place you can find hope and peace is within yourself. Such times call for soul searching, to look deep within and find what's important and what matters the most. ⁣
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~ SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY. The realisation of what matters the most will bring a sense of responsibility to think bigger than yourself and fight for a larger cause. For instance, the sense of responsibility to stay alive for his wife and to finish his book so that he can help people going through similar situations kept him going. Notice here that he put someone else above his suffering. This sense of responsibility will present the purpose and meaning of life. ⁣
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~ TRAGIC OPTIMISM. Viktor Frankl decided the moment he was admitted in the concentration camp that he will survive and started planning on what he will do when he got out. He imagined his wife and talked to her everyday as if she was with him. He imagined himself giving lectures on his book infront of attentive audience. This attitude and conviction made him last and survive the camp. ⁣
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Suffering is a part of life but when suffering comes how do you deal with it? What's the most important thing in your life and what matters the most to you? These are the things that define the purpose and meaning of life.

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