I read Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning (New Edition)" | Reading Diary: Adult Book Review

"Man's Search for Meaning (New Edition)" (by Viktor E. Frankl, translated by Kayoko Ikeda) is a deeply memorable book that asks how humans can continue to live without losing hope amidst unimaginable suffering.

This book is based on the experiences of psychiatrist Frankl himself, who was sent to a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.

It depicts a harsh reality where human dignity was stripped away and one could not even be sure of surviving until the next day.

What stayed with me as I read was the idea that "in any situation, a human being still retains the freedom to choose their own attitude."

Of course, one cannot simply tell someone suffering, "It will be fine if you just change your way of thinking."

I believe the suffering Frankl experienced was beyond words.

Even so, he conveyed that deep within the human heart, there is a freedom that no one can take away.

I felt that these words hold great significance even when facing painful events in life.

When people are in pain, they sometimes think, "Why is this happening only to me?" or "I wish I could go back to the past."

I myself have had times when things didn't go as planned or when my heart felt exhausted.

There were times when I felt my efforts were not rewarded or when I could no longer see a future.

At such times, the words in "Man's Search for Meaning" taught me the importance of finding what I can do within that situation, rather than trying to force the suffering away.

Frankl says that what gives humans the strength to live is not just thinking about "what we can get from life," but rather "what life is asking of us."

I realized that not losing one's humanity in any situation leads to the hope of living.

Also, what I felt after reading this book is that happiness is not a state where there is absolutely no suffering.

Those who survived the camps say that in such extreme conditions, they didn't even have the luxury to think about "happiness"; they were just desperate to survive one day at a time.

From that, I was made to think again about the preciousness of life itself.

Many people lived on in deep sorrow after surviving, having lost their families.

While there was such a harsh reality, another part that left an impression on me was the scene where human kindness is discussed.

It is introduced that even among the guards, there were those who showed compassion to the prisoners and tried to help them as much as they could.

I realized that regardless of one's position, there are those who act according to their conscience and those who do not.

There are events in life that we cannot choose for ourselves, but I felt that how we accept those experiences and how we live from here on is an important choice left to us.

"Man's Search for Meaning" is by no means a bright or cheerful book.
However, I believe it continues to move the hearts of many people across generations precisely because it kept looking at human dignity and hope even in the midst of extreme despair.

If there is anyone currently lost in life or standing still amidst suffering, I felt that this book does not force an answer upon you, but rather quietly stays by your side and speaks to you, saying, "There is still meaning in life."

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