Reading Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning in 2022 wasn’t just another book experience for me. It landed in my life at a really tough time, right after I finished my Master’s at the University of Auckland and came back home to India. I was hit with a health crisis – needing gallbladder removal surgery. Honestly, the recovery was brutal. I was in so much physical pain, constantly needing help with everything, even just getting out of bed or going to the bathroom. The pain would come in waves, and it felt like there was no end in sight. Looking back, it’s almost strange to admit, but I even had thoughts of suicide during that time. It’s funny now because my parents were my absolute rocks. They took care of me like a baby again, through all the pain and the nights I couldn’t sleep.

It was during this period of feeling utterly hopeless that Man’s Search for Meaning found its way to me. It felt like more than just a book; it was a lifeline. Frankl, as a doctor, had gone through the unimaginable horrors of Nazi concentration camps. He saw the absolute worst of humanity, witnessed unbelievable suffering, where people were stripped of everything – their possessions, their freedom, their very dignity. Yet, he observed something incredible: even in that hell, some people managed to hold onto a sense of hope, a smile, a reason to live, despite the near certainty of death. This was a real shock to me. Here I was, in the comfort of my home, surrounded by loved ones, feeling despair, while people in those camps, facing the absolute extreme of human cruelty, found a way to keep going.

Finding Meaning in the Mire: Frankl’s Powerful Message

Frankl’s book isn’t just a recounting of those horrific experiences. It’s about what he learned about the human spirit and what truly keeps us going. He developed this idea called Logotherapy, which is all about finding meaning in life, even – and perhaps especially – in suffering. This really hit home for me. While I was going through my physical pain, feeling like my life was on hold, Frankl’s words suggested that even in that, there could be meaning. Maybe it was in the love and support of my parents, or in the simple act of getting through each painful moment.

He talks about how even when you’re stripped of everything external, you still have the freedom to choose your attitude, your response to what’s happening to you. This was so powerful. It wasn’t about pretending the pain wasn’t there, but about finding something beyond the pain to focus on. The prisoners who survived often had something – or someone – they were living for, a future task, a loved one they hoped to see again. It showed me that even when life throws the absolute worst at you, the human spirit has an incredible capacity for resilience.

Frankl vs. Freud and Adler: A Different Path to Understanding

Frankl’s approach to psychology felt very different from what I had learned about Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler. Freud often focused on past traumas, digging into childhood experiences to understand current issues. Adler emphasized the present, focusing on feelings of inferiority and the drive for power. But Frankl? He was all about the future, about the “will to meaning.” He believed that our primary motivation isn’t pleasure (like Freud said) or power (like Adler suggested), but the search for purpose.

During my recovery, this resonated deeply. Thinking about past hurts or my current limitations just made me feel worse. But focusing on the future, on the possibility of getting better, of using my knowledge from my Master’s, of contributing something to the world – that gave me a reason to push through the pain. Frankl’s existential approach, focusing on the here and now and the search for meaning in existence, was exactly what I needed during that time.

My Personal Takeaway: Hope in the Face of Everything

Man’s Search for Meaning wasn’t just an intellectual exercise for me; it was a deeply personal experience. It helped me realize that even in what felt like my own personal hell, there was still hope. Seeing how people in the concentration camps, facing unimaginable horrors, found ways to maintain their dignity and even a sense of joy in small things, was incredibly humbling and inspiring. It reminded me that my suffering, while intense, was temporary, and that the love and support I was receiving from my parents was a powerful source of meaning.

Frankl’s book is a testament to the incredible strength of the human spirit. It shows that even when everything is taken away from you, you still have the power to choose your attitude and find meaning in your circumstances. It’s a reminder that humanity can be pushed to its absolute limits, and yet, hope and the search for purpose can still endure. For me, Man’s Search for Meaning wasn’t just a book I read; it was a companion during a dark time, a guide that helped me find my own flicker of light when I felt surrounded by darkness. It’s a book I’ll carry with me, a reminder that even in the toughest journeys, the search for meaning can be the most powerful medicine.