Viktor Frankl
He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how. ~Nietzsche
Once again, I was compelled to re-read Viktor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search For Meaning,” because I am wanting to begin another book which he also wrote, entitled “The Doctor And The Soul.” This book, “Man’s Search For Meaning”, is a good way to acquaint yourself with Dr. Frankl and the work he contributed to this world. I have the deepest respect and admiration for this man.
Dr. Frankl was a professor of Neurology and Psychiatry a the University of Vienna Medical School until his death in 1997. Because of the work he did, he had a chance to obtain a US Immigration Visa just before the United States entered World War II. After much turmoil in his mind and heart as to what he thought would be the right thing to do, he decided not to leave his old parents alone since everyone knew what was in store for the Jewish people during that time. This remarkable and unselfish decision itself, speaks volumes of what kind of human being this man was.
I have often thought that this man ended up experiencing for himself the “will for meaning” – the very thing to which he dedicated his entire adult life to. He endured three years in concentration camps, one of which was Auschwitz. His parents and his sister were killed. He survived.
Anyone who has experienced suffering should read this book. At some point in life, each of us will suffer, in some form or in some fashion. This book always gives me such a rich experience of believing in the potentiality that lies in all of us, irregardless of what our circumstances are at the moment. Finding meaning in all that life presents to us really and truly is a personal choice.
Viktor Frankl had a vision. His vision was to see the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast. Please click to see this clip. The Catholic Pope, Benedict XVI, very recently left from a visit to the United States. His speeches were remarkable and very timely. One of the things he reminded us of is that “Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility.”
The life that we have been given, is a life worth living. I often ask the question, “What is life asking of me?” The answer will be different for each one of us.
