Hľadanie zmyslu života

The fascinating thing about this book, for me, is its multifaceted character. Depending on the circumstances you read it in, the content moulds in a way that speaks to you the most at that exact moment.

Four years back, when looking for an internally rewarding job, I was especially taken by the core topic, the search for deeper meaning in anything we do in our lives.

This time about, due to recent emotional struggles, my attention was automatically drawn to the various aspects of pain and suffering, and the liberating concept of choice.

While, thankfully, the horrors of concentration camps are things of the past, Frankl’s main message on how to deal with the immensity of inner pain still resonates with anyone who has gone through situations that left them emotionally shattered to pieces, and looking for a way to piece themselves back together.

According to Frankl, such difficult experiences and, more importantly, attitudes we take towards resolving them, then form an integral part of our past, and no matter in which direction it moves us, we can always proudly look back, knowing that we took the courage to face the pain and live through it.

For “there was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a man had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.”

(I especially enjoyed Frank’s side comment on the American culture that makes recovery for suffering people especially difficult, as it is not often well regarded to be seen as “unhappy”, making the whole process so much harder.)

The second point that was especially liberating for me was the idea that, “forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation.”

These choices then define who we are as human beings, and give us the never-ending opportunity to become the better versions of ourselves, based on the decisions we take and the way we respond to whatever life throws at us. While this naturally comes with an almost unbearable level of responsibility, it is also refreshing to understand that no matter what happens, we are the only ones ultimately responsible for the people we become.

Initially, I have given the book a 4 star rating, since I found the second part of the book too descriptive and not very relevant for the “average” reader.

However, reading The Man’s Search for Meaning the second time felt as if an ophthalmologist gave me the right pair of glasses - everything around me suddenly got into focus, and I was able to see things for what they really are, instead of this blurry, confusing mush they were before.

And if a book can provide you with tools that speak to your heart and help you lead a more tolerable life, no matter the psychotherapeutic technique, it cannot get much better than that. 5 stars.

Hľadanie zmyslu života (alebo Aj napriek všetkému povedať životu áno) by mala byť zaradená medzi povinnú literatúru nielen pre študentov psychológie. Je pravda, že študenti tohto odboru z nej získajú ešte viac, najmä pochopia celkovú myšlienku Franklovej teórie, ale veľa z nej vie získať aj laik, človek mimo odboru. Frankl v nej popisuje svoje životné obdobie, ktoré strávil v koncentračnom tábore a aj keď je na túto tému vydaných už mnoho kníh, Frankl to robí trochu inak. Nechce čitateľa primárne znechutiť explicitným a brutálnym násilím, ale skôr mu ukázať, aké to tam bolo. A najmä, ako to tam človek prežíval, psychicky.
Najmä dnes, keď pomaly ľudia ani neveria, že niečo takéto sa v moderných dejinách ľudstva stalo, by po tejto knihe mali ľudia siahnuť.