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Lecturer’s Book review: Man’s search for meaning In terms of human liberty, the prisoners’ freedomis restricted. In most circumstance, they are being limited to express their will. The prisoners lack spiritual freedom. They are ever under care. Even though, it is demonstrated that regardless someone going through physical and mental pain, such experience deepen his spiritual life. Their ability to withstand the terrible surrounding enables them to embrace religious freedom. The author tries to justify that people are being denied religious freedom.
However, they are being determined to pursue it, but, they can exercise their spiritual freedom through imagination. The quote the last of human freedom to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstance, or to choose one way is understood in this perspective. Human freedom tends to be diverse; and, different people have different perception of human freedom. They define it based on the situation being experienced. For instance, the prisoners are deprived from human freedom, so it has reached a point whereby they wish if they can be granted even a small privilege.
When they see their fellow prisoners being entitled to some opportunities, they start to envy. For example, their fellow given the opportunity to work in decent places, but them are not even allowed to choose the last human freedom. After people have gone torture, and immediately when they encounter freedom, they tend to forget and start to embrace their freedom. For instance, the quote; such people forget it is just an exceptional. The three prisoners were able to forget as they had managed to escape the plan for mass transportation.
When people are going through humiliation, torture, their values being degraded, the moment they encounter a moment that can make them avoid such thoughts, they immediately grasp it. That is why once prisoners are out of prison, they find out things that can make them forget those moments they were in prison. Questions about the meaning of life can never be answered by sweeping statements. Sometimes getting the real meaning of life is hard. Someone cannot just jump draw a conclusion of the meaning of life.
Fate accounts a lot when it comes to the meaning of life. For example, prisoners went through torturous conditions for them to discover the meaning of their life (Frankl 77). It is a must for humans to undergo suffering so as to derive a meaning of it. Therefore, a man cannot simply exist, but he has to decide what his existence will be. Therefore, someone understanding the meaning of his or her life can happen through a sad experience. Again the meaning of life is a unique process for every human being, so it is only that person who can satisfy it.
For example, some of the prisoners were able to find out the true meaning of their life but after going through difficult time. A man who becomes aware of the responsibility he has towards a human being. Through the search for meaning, a man can become aware of the responsibilities he has for other fellow human beings. The process of human discovery helps someone to accept his/ her responsibilities. For instance, Frankl wanted to escape, but later it came to his senses that he was supposed to attend his fellow prisoners that were severely ill.
The decision to remain with his fellow prisoners gave him inwards peace. Work CitedFrankl, Victor. Mans Search for Meaning. New York: Beacon Press, 2014.
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