Letter to Viktor Frankl Based On Novel A Man's Search for Meaning - Essay Example

Letter to Viktor Frankl Based On Novel "A Mans Search for Meaning." Viktor Frankl, Vienna, Austria,October 27, 1950. Dear Mr. Frankl I hope this letter finds you well Mr. Frankl. I am Tony Williams, 36 years old ex-Marine living in West Virginia. I have been reading your excellent book, ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ because of the comprehensive accounts and events that transpired during the Nazi era. I feel moved to write you because of the revelations you have given regarding the Jewish suffering in Vienna among other parts of the globe. You have also used the book to help your readers adopt new perspectives and techniques for finding new meaning in life more so if they relate to your predicaments. One of the occurrences that catch my attention is the decision to remain in Austria rather than leave for America in 1941. I agree with your decision to stay despite the imminent sabotages from the Nazis. The movement was apparent danger to your life and the mentally ill patients whom you saved by opposing euthanasia and giving false diagnoses. However, what impressed me most is the unconditional love for your old parents. I suppose you were the only source of security and deserting them could have led to their deaths (Frankl, 2006). Heavens returned the favor, and you got married to Tilly Grosser in the same year. In addition, allow me to address three principal aspects that surprised and impressed me in equal measure as I read your life changing accounts. Three Major Aspects from Your Book Your determination to survive during the Nazi reign was impressive. Who would have resolved to remain in Austria after their private practice had been terminated? Having a Jewish designation and the consistent extermination of your patients might have cause you unimaginable suffering. The determination to stay with your aging parents, imminent starvation, and exhaustion was enough psychological torture that could have led to your sudden death. The harrowing image of your dear father dying due to starvation, lovely Grosser procuring a forced abortion and the scary gas chambers killed you mum scarred your heart. You sustain your high spirit during the trying period because the mere psychological torture and predisposition was dangerous. The autobiographical approach you have used in the book helps prisoners and other people experiencing torture familiarize with your narrative. You open the book by acknowledging the long professional knowledge you have but also point out that the concentration camps utilized by Nazis brought the worst ordeals in Vienna. I can relate to the descriptions, reactions, and observations you made when you began your imprisonment. Indeed, the experiences in concentration camp pushed prisons to fight for their lives and mere existence. You maintained your composure despite, prevailing brutal force, betrayal and the hope for liberation that seemed impossible (5-6). You also use the context of a concentration camp to show your profound knowledge in imprisonment and psychology (Frankl, 2006, p.18). I derived a new perspective on psychology that sets in when you go to prison. You put yourselves in the shoes of a common and walked the reader through the main stages of imprisonment. The admission, getting entrenched in the camp routine and final release and liberation are the main steps that keep the life of a prisoner afloat. The rate of mortality fashioned by oppressive rule of Nazis led to the death of the inmates. The interest in launching improvised prayers and the ability to withstand the typhus outbreak required a robust soul (Frankl, 2006). World War II had its harrowing experiences, but the picture you create in the book showed how much physical, religion, and intellectual suffering can cause incomparable pain. Consequently, I learnt great three great lessons from your book too. Crucial Lessons From you Novel First, you have demonstrated that joy and suffering are the relative concepts in the lives of human. You concur that military situation gives individual profound experiences and expectations. You did not have ample choices in the concentration camps where the Nazis used torture, starvation, and murder to push people to submission. You teach me that psychological reaction of shock, reactions, and apathy are the only ways of establishing hope and reprieve when exposed to constant abuse. Second, you can also find meaning in the gravest circumstances, and that happens if you make informed psychological choices (Frankl, 2006, p.29). Prisoners lost and found hope in the concentration camps despite the unknown period of imprisonment. Lastly, you demonstrate that suffering does not last forever. You use the last chapters of your books to cover the final phase of a psychological process that occurs through liberation. Therapy, support, and treatment help liberated prisoners to find new meaning in life. One of the quotes that impressed is, “Abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior” (p.38). The quote conjures up memories of military circumstances, but it also sums up the psychological and psychiatry survival skills that prisoners endure when subjected to extreme conditions. In addition, you have acknowledged the potential that lie within men when you argue that, “Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible and of changing himself for the better if necessary (p.131). The quote shows the power within human beings that helps to overcome tribulations and finding meaning. As I sum up this letter, there are several questions that I want you to address, ponder and somehow use as a foundation for your next authorship. Why do you have unrelenting optimism about life even with the hardships? What could you have done if your parents and dear wife were in the concentration camp? Is there an overall therapeutic technique beyond psychology for surviving the release and liberation stage? I close this letter by commending your account and helping the world. Nazi’s concentration camps disoriented many Jews, but they also opened a new chapter that the world could use to seek fulfillment. You have showed that the world criticized the miseries and extreme suffering in the camps and identified with your personal narration. You have focused on all details that concern incarceration and the psychological predisposition that happened to you and the prisoners in the Nazis camp. What an excellent reading! Yours, Tony Williams Reference Frankl, V. (2006). A Mans search for meaning. Boston: Beacon Press. Read More