In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist, reflects on his experiences in a German concentration camp during the Holocaust. In the book, Frankl shows how one might find hope in light of adversity and meaning despite despair. In Man’s Search for Meaning, one can find a response to the problem of evil in the world, and embrace the Jesuitical ideal of vocation
Frankl organizes a prisoner’s experience in a concentration camp into three separate phases of mental reactions, “The period following his admission; the period when he is well entrenched in camp routine; and the period following his release and liberation” (Frankl 26). Admission into camp life is accompanied by shock. This phase is characterized by severe depression and little to no fear of death. The seriousness of their circumstances begins to hit the prisoner and suddenly they lose the will to live.
Frankl says many prisoners would “run into the wire,” electrocuting themselves and dying soon after (37). Frankl says “even the gas chambers lost their horrors… after all, they spared him the act of committing suicide”(37). In the second phase, where the prisoner becomes accustomed to camp life, he experiences an unrelenting apathy. After countless beatings, Frankl explains he only felt moved by the injustice of the encounters. The guards would refer to the prisoners as pigs, striking them simply because they felt like it.
In moments such as these, Frankl says, “Indignation can rouse even a seemingly hardened prisoner” (44). In the third phase, liberation, Frankl explains that the prisoners did not feel the relief they imagined from being freed. Feelings of disbelief accompanied the prisoners, rendering them incapable of enjoying their release. Frankl mentions that some prisoners reacted bitte brutally following their liberation. Viktor explains that in one instance, a friend forced him to walk through a field of fresh oats, causing a farmer to lose some of his crops.
The friend only says “And hasn’t enough been taken from us? My wife and child have been gassed and you would forbid me to tread on a few stalks of oats” (112). In the final portion of the book, Frankl explains that “Logotherapy focuses on the future… on the meanings to be fulfilled by the patient in the future” (120. Logotherapy acts as a means for understanding and interpreting the purpose of suffering for holocaust victims and all who experience hardship. One of the biggest arguments against faith and the existence of God today, is the argument of evil.
If God is all powerful and all good, then why is there evil in the world? Why did the holocaust happen if God cares for his people? Why are women treated unequally if we are all made in God’s image? Why do some still starve to death because of their inability to buy food? Why does racism exist? Viktor Frankl in Man’s Search for Meaning offers an answer to those struggling with these questions. Frankl explains that all else can be taken away from a Holocaust victim except his ability to respond positively in a situation (87).
Though his career, fortune, and family might be ripped from his hands, he can still turn suffering and hardship into something beautiful and meaningful. Victor explains “Even though lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to act in certain ways… it becomes clear that the sort of person a prisoner became was the result of an inner decision” (87). Those experiencing hardship around the world today can still choose to respond positively and create a life worth living and fighting for. In fact, suffering helps one to grow.
Frankl says, “The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity-even under the most difficult circumstances-to add a deeper meaning to his life”(88). Suffering allows one to add this “deeper meaning to his life”. If they choose to, one can become stronger and deeper through their hardship. Frankl quotes Fyodor Dostoevski saying, “There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings” (87). How one responds to inequality and disparity in the world, determines if he/she is worthy of suffering.
One might choose to respond morally and with a goodness inherent to the human condition, or act grievously. Those struggling with inequality can find meaning in their suffering and make themselves a better person as a result. In Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor explains that many prisoners who lost meaning in their life, died soon after: “His faith in the future and his will to live had become paralyzed and his body fell victim to illness”(97). Unable to find meaning in their lives, prisoners slipped into sickness and death. Frankl argues that those who found meaning, rendered themselves more capable of survival.
He quotes Nietzsche in saying “He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how” (97). In class, we discussed faith as “The assurance of things hope for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). A loss of faith caused many of the Holocaust victims to slip into death, while faith in the future allowed many to survive. Frankl argues that “It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life”(98). Frankl’s statement coincides with the Jesuit idea of vocation.
Frankl says we can find the purpose of our life by doing what is expected of us. We must, to the best of our capacity, contribute to life outside of ourselves; there, we will find meaning. At a Jesuit university we are taught that there is a vocation, a profession, best suited for ourselves. In this vocation we can contribute to society, find meaning in our lives, and serve God. Frankl argues there is no “meaning of life”, instead “life’s tasks… form man’s destiny, which is different and unique for each individual”(98). Vocation, just like destiny, differs between each individual.
