Professor Priscilla Hansen
ENG WR 300
2 February 2015
The Glory beyond the Suffering In the first part of the book “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E. Frankl, the author explains his experience in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, which significantly helped to shape his life. This psychiatrist Frankl, begins this part of the book with an autobiography to describe his experience as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. He seeks to describe the dreadful and horrific situations in the concentration camp which taught him about the primary purpose of life: the quest for meaning. Frankl brings to the light, the three phases of reaction that all inmates experience in the camp (Frankl 8). The first …show more content…
This period, emotions are suppressed and it helps endure and cope with the conditions of constant abuse. The third stage is the period following his liberation. The phase after which he is freed usually characterized by bitterness, unpleased attitudes and demoralization. In the course of this part of the book, Frankl points out certain themes and how they helped him cope with the situations which he was faced with and couldn’t do anything about. The themes he pointed out were suffering, love, choosing one’s feelings, finding meaning in life, humor, fate, nature, spiritual freedom and the distinction between internal and external. Frankl explains that people give up on life on exposure to suffering, brutality, and closeness to death and suicide seem to be the only alternative while others do not give up. Frankl’s question which he seeks to answer in the course of this part of the book, is the difference between the two categories of people: those who give up and those who don’t. He explains that survivors had some meaning and purpose. They had hope in the future to motivate and propel them forward and as such, they …show more content…
It really takes me down memory lane, though I never had a physical torture, I can relate to some of the concepts in Frankl’s book. Growing up as a kid, I thought all suffering was cruel and inhuman but as I progress in life, I have come to realize that some sufferings are actually worth it. It all depends on what one is suffering for. There is more to suffering than just physical brutality and torture as Frank experienced in the Nazi camp. Suffering can be an emotional pain that tends to eat one up whenever the thoughts of it comes up. Suffering can also be a feeling of loneliness not been able to be with the ones you love. Suffering, like sin doesn’t have a measure of how big or small it is. It has the same impact in a person’s soul and mind (Frankl 44). There is “no one-size-fits all” in the world of suffering. As a Christian with a very strong religious belief, I attach so much importance to suffering knowing that nothing just happens without a reason. Being a preacher’s daughter, my dad taught me that suffering is ineluctable but what defines the person I am, is my ability to see my suffering in the light of the glory that awaits me. Even in the bitterest situation, life can be given a meaning and so can suffering. We just need a positive mindset about our suffering and face it in an honorable way instead of just losing hope and giving up on life as most