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“Man’s Search For Meaning”

 by Viktor Frankl

“In attempting this
psychological presentation and a psychopathological explanation of the
typical characteristics of a concentration camp inmate, I may give the
impression that the human being is completely and unavoidably influenced
by his surroundings. (In this case the surroundings being the unique
structure of camp life, which forced the prisoner to conform his conduct
to a certain set pattern.) But what about human liberty? Is there no
spiritual freedom in regard to behavior and reaction to any given
surroundings? Is that theory true which would have us believe that man
is no more than a product of many conditional and environmental factors —
be they of a biological, psychological or sociological nature? Is man
but an accidental product of these? Most important, do the prisoners’
reactions to the singular world of the concentration camp prove that man
cannot escape the influences of his surroundings? Does man have no
choice of action in the face of such circumstances?

We can answer these questions from experience as well as on principle.
The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action.
There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which proved that
apathy could be overcome, irritability suppressed. Man can preserve a
vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such
terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress.

We who lived, in concentration camps can remember the men who walked
through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of
bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof
that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the
human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of
circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered
the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether
you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob
you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or
not you would become the plaything of circumstance, renouncing freedom
and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate.

Seen from this point of view, the mental reactions of the inmates of a
concentration camp must seem more to us than the mere expression of
certain physical and sociological conditions. Even though conditions
such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and various mental stresses may
suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the
final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner
became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp
influences alone. Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such
circumstances, decide what shall become of him — mentally and
spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration
camp. Dostoevski said once, “There is only one thing that I dread: not
to be worthy of my sufferings.” These words frequently came to my mind
after I became acquainted with those martyrs whose behavior in camp,
whose suffering and death, bore witness to the fact that the last inner
freedom cannot be lost. It can be said that they were worthy of their
sufferings; the way they bore their suffering was a genuine inner
achievement. It is this spiritual freedom — which cannot be taken away —
that makes life meaningful and purposeful.

An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to
realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment
affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing
beauty, art, or nature. But there is also purpose in that life which is
almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one
possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man’s attitude to his
existence, an existence restricted by external forces. A creative life
and a life of enjoyment are banned to him. But not only creativeness and
enjoyment are meaningful. If there is a meaning in life at all, then
there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part
of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life
cannot be complete.

The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it
entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample
opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add a
deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and
unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget
his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the
chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of
attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him.
And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.

Do not think that these considerations are unworldly and too far removed
from real life. It is true that only a few people are capable of
reaching such high moral standards. Of the prisoners only a few kept
their full inner liberty and obtained those values which their suffering
afforded, but even one such example is sufficient proof that man’s
inner strength may raise him above his outward fate. Such men are not
only in concentration camps. Everywhere man is confronted with fate,
with the chance of achieving something through his own suffering.”

- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod/voices/frankl.html

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- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Frankl

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