That one page from ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’!

To get you through this corona Pandemic!

For someone who is concerned about the questions about the meaning of life, it’s quite natural to end up on Viktor Frankl’s psycho-analytical book: Man’s Search for Meaning.

It’s also natural that you started looking for meaning in your life, after reading this book. I belong to the former group.

Irrespective of why you started this book, by the end, you will certainly have some questions to ask yourself. This book talks about stretching the human extremes and still adhering to the optimism.

He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.

The question which pushed me towards the subject of this book was: “why we are?”. But I realized that journey for that answer begins with a more subtle and direct question: What is the meaning of life?

I happened to be in the middle of this book when Corona struck. By the time corona was renamed to COVID-19, I have realized how relevant this book is going to be during these times of distress. But more on that later.

So in case, you haven’t read the book, or if you simply want to revise the meaning of ‘Man’s search for Meaning’ in the wake of this pandemic, here’s one page to summarise the entire book.

This is an excerpt of page 87 from Viktor Frankl’s Man search of meaning:

The tender beginnings of psychotherapy or psychoanalysis were, when they were possible at all in the camp, either individual or collective in nature. The individual psychotherapeutic attempts were often a kind of life-saving procedure. These efforts were usually concerned with the prevention of suicides. A very strict camp ruling forbade any efforts to save a man who attempted suicide.

It was forbidden, for example, to cut down a man who was trying to hang himself. Therefore, it was all-important to prevent these attempts from occurring

I remember two cases of would-be suicide, which bore a striking similarity to each other. Both men had talked of their intentions to commit suicide. Both used the typical argument-they had nothing more to expect from life. In both cases it was a question of getting them to realize that life was still expecting something from them; something in the future was expected of them.

We found, in fact, that for the one it was his child whom he adored and who was waiting for him in a foreign country. For the other, it was a thing, not a person. This man was a scientist and had written a series of books that still needed to be finished. His work could not be done by anyone else, any more than another person could ever take the place of the father in his child’s affection.

When the impossibility of replacing a person is realized, it allows the responsibility which a man has for his existence and its continuance to appear in all its magnitude.

Initial Thoughts

This particular page explains the need of having a meaning for life and more than that, it explains that the meaning differs from person to person. For some it’s their creative work, for others it could be family that’s dependent on them and for some, just the reason for being is enough.

Having been is also a kind of being, and perhaps the surest kind. — Man’s search for Meaning

Though at one point I doubted that Mr. Frankl might have made it up. But I am not here to judge his experiences, which were gruesome and applaud-worthy if anything. I am merely transfixed on his analytical perceptions and pairing of events to deliver a true literary experience summarizing the meaning of life, and the book.

A person can even have meaning if he has no one, similarly, a man can be hopeless if he has everything. It’s all about determination. But with the loss of hope, people tend to lose determination and need someone to show light. Yet, we often let go of many opportunities to shine the light. It is weird how the human mind tends to avoid any acts which won’t yield a direct and tangible result.

Have you found the meaning of life yet?

I haven’t! I mean, I know I want to be a screenwriter. But what if I fail to do so even after 20 years of relentless pursuit. Would my life be meaningless, then? And the worst thing would be, doing that at a cost of distancing myself from family.

Having a goal is different than having meaning. Meaning can be the goal, but a goal can’t be the meaning. Man’s search for meaning has touched numerous such nuances of life-dilemma, discussing in detail that the pursuit of one thing shouldn’t come at the cost of others.

On a minimalist level, “meaning” for me is saving freelancers from being duped by my capitalist company. Those little “thank yous”, from these still-in-college freelancers made me realize that life can (and should) have both minimalist meaning and grandeur meaning.

Minimalist meaning for me is looking for happiness in little things, while a grandeur meaning gives purpose to life. Even the purpose can be self-serving, like fulfilling a childhood dream. or it can be the for-social cause.

Both of these purposes contribute to the progression of society, justifying the “grandeur” meaning. While the compounding of minimalist meanings contributes to the cumulative happiness of society.

I only hope these meanings stay there even if someday, I become a screen-writer.

Relevance during Pandemic

I like savoring things. I consume some special pieces at a tortoise’s pace. That’s why I took almost 6 months finishing 10 seasons of Friends and almost 2 months tackling a 10-episode TV Series, Dekalog (which is — in its own sense — about human emotions and meaning of life).

And that’s how I am consuming Man’s Search for Meaning — one insight, in Victor’s life, at a time. 5 pages per day — absorbed and inherited. Probably this should be the norm.

And you will be prepared, at least mentally, for these times of uncertainties. Hopefully, people will compare their tragedies with Viktor’s and know that their life could have been worse. That if a man can go through concentration camps and still carry hope, then anyone can.

I also hope people read Page 90 from the book and savor it. On that particular page, Viktor gives a “sermon” to his fellow inmates about not losing hope. That’s another page which is a textbook lessor for going through the hardest times in your life and still seeking light.

Especially, for people who have lost someone during this pandemic, this book can work as a navigator and they will realize that these existential vacuums are temporary. That life will keep on testing humans in different forms. Probably those who are unscathed by this pandemic won’t be as strong as those who endured the pain of losing someone, without bidding a proper goodbye.

Life never ceases to have meaning. And this infinite meaning of life includes suffering, dying privation, and death. — Man’s search for Meaning

I have been in that zone of hopelessness when I was convinced that there’s no future. (Haven’t had read man’s search for meaning by then) Looking back at that time I wonder how naively stupid I was.

But I do acknowledge the fact that how gripping that zone of hopeless helplessness becomes. That we became too exhausted to deal with anything and ending all this seems the easiest escape.

All you need to realize is that by the next morning, by next week, by next month or next year — your life will be different. There are endless self-help articles available on medium and on the internet. Find a constructive method that works for you. Or simply look around and give yourself a reason, a meaning to move forward in life.