In the book A Man's Search for Meaning, Dr Frankl gives a glimpse in the world of the holocaust through the eyes of a prisoner in a Jewish concentration camp. Frankl's experiences will take one on a journey that is never ending, the ultimate quest to find that ever-elusive meaning of life, or what one thinks life is. In his book, Dr. Frankl suggests the idea that "to live is to suffer, but to survive is to find meaning in the suffering."I think that this statement can mean a wide variety of things. For instance, a person dealing with suicide can believe whole heartedly that with life comes the pain that is never ending; while on the other hand, someone leading a relatively "good life" may read that quote and think that the only reason there is pain in life is to humble ourselves and not let the fact that they were blessed with gifts be something that is expected rather than earned. .
Dr. Frankl wrote a Man's Search for Meaning in 1945. I think one of the reasons why he wrote this book is he wanted to make the accounts that he was forced to endure a tangible reminder of those horrifying days as an inmate in a Jewish concentration camp. His initial intentions for this book were not to acquire the fame that comes with associating a novel with an author. His intentions were solely to describe the terrible events that transpired in the infamous Auschwitz. In my own opinion, the paradox between success and happiness is that you can achieve happiness without truly reaching success. However, a lot of people think that through success you can reach what some people consider true happiness. .
I honestly think that if I had given the daunting and overwhelming tasks of those that were given to prisoner 109,114, I would not have performed the way that he had. In all honesty I would never have had the strength, will, and determination that Frankl possessed. He was asked to perform hard labor and often times the working conditions were unsafe, and many times life threatening.