Man’s Search for Meaning
by Viktor E. Frankl
Beacon Press
165pp
I've read and reread this book during pivotal phases of my life. The first time I read Man's Search for Meaning I was sixteen years old. It was recommended to me by one of my high school teachers who happened to be a Catholic nun. I was captivated by Viktor Frankl's experience in the concentration camps and thought it taught me a valuable lesson--that there profound meaning could be discovered through suffering. I read the book again in my twenties and again in my thirties. Every time I read this book I learn some nuance I had not thought of before. The thinking person or the person who chooses to think on a deeper level will always find comfort and solace from the existential pain that is inherent in the human condition. I have come to know that life teaches us many lessons and the most difficult lesson of all is to embrace that it is only by finding meaning in suffering that we are able to elevate ourselves to a place where we can experience the highest form of love.
Patricia Vaccarino
Patricia Vaccarino is an accomplished writer who has written award-winning film scripts, press materials, articles, essays, speeches, web content, marketing collateral, and ten books.