Man's Search for Meaning (Part 1)

This is the second time I tried to write some of my thoughts inspired by this very good book. The first time I stopped after five minutes. Apart from the usual excuse of too busy with work, there is also a feeling that I don’t know where to start. In fact I find myself too irrelevant compared to what this book’s author had experienced.

This is a classic book, aka very old book. Its first edition came out in 1959, before I was even born. There is a reason why this book still captures the attention of many readers after many decades. It is simply good. It is also heavy. So be warned - it will destroy your good mood if you try to do some pool-side reading during a vacation.

It’s about a Jewish scholar’s unique experience of surviving Nazi death camps during the Second World War. I say unique because not many Jewish could survive death camps – they either were executed or died of hard labor and malnutrition, or sometimes just lacked the will to live on. Even for those who survived, they might not be able to describe people’s inner feelings under extremely adverse conditions in such details – fear, hope, compassion, and love, at times with deep psychological analysis.

Again I have to emphasize that I’m not qualified to comment anything on Victor Frankl’s theories or views. I’ll just share a few insights or probably personal feelings gained from this book. What’s the meaning of a man’s life? I’ve been asking this question since I entered adolescence (and now I am in my mid life). There are many ready-made answers to suit your appetite. In fact the answer changes with your age. For a teenager or young adult, a simple answer from what most religions offer, like “living for God” or “be a good son/daughter of the Lord”, will do. For adults from mid-twenties to late-thirties, it is difficult not to focus on their needs (or desires) to establish a family, to earn a stable income, and to improve their material life. So life’s meaning to them is just to make more money. Money also contributes to their having a sense of security, and self-esteem as well – belonging to a class of the society that ‘has’. People of all ages look for a kind of inner fulfillment or satisfaction that often results in them feeling ‘happy’. For the first half of a man’s life - from childhood to early mid-life, it’s a sense of CERTAINTY and SECURITY that contribute to this inner fulfillment.

Entering mid-life, however, a man’s landscape changes. There is less urge to accumulate more stuff and things (well… it depends). There is a sense of stability because you already own a house with mortgage almost paid off. Your kids are in high school and your job seems safe. If you lose your job, your investment is probably enough for your family to live a comfortable life for the next 5 years. Well, a few of their friends and peers already died, perhaps prematurely. So some people even think they have lived long enough, seen enough, and if their lives end suddenly it would be acceptable. The need for security and certainty diminishes. Here comes their mid-life crisis. You start wondering why you live and what this fuss is all about. What have you accomplished in the first 40 years? Is there any strong reason to live on? Does one carry on living just because one hasn’t died?