Discover.. Fulfill.. Life’s Meaning

There is a right time for everything, as they say and so it was it now, the lockdown period, for me to get hold of “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Vicktor Frankl. After history lessons in school, it was now that I actually read or in real sense tried to understand the Holocaust, Nazi concentration camps. What’s unthinkable and unimaginable to me, thousands and thousands have suffered and some have survived the trauma.

Vicktor Frankl’s account of the events at the camps, the narration of how a human thinks, what breakdowns some one, while how someone outgrows the sufferings, is heart touching as well as insightful. While the book appears small in size but is so deep, so wide and so real that reading it as book is actually undermining its value. Almost every other page, every other line, every other word – makes you stop, reflect, and empathise. I was so wrong in judging by its appearance that I would finish the book in couple of hours. Over a period of 6 months I have read this, sometimes re-reading just that I get what is written and also what is not.

If I draw up a list of books that matter, which have the potential to change your life, your attitude towards life, this one will surely be amongst the top 5.

I have done one round of reading, and am sure it will not end there. The times when I am lost searching of purpose of my life, the times when I am in need of motivation and the times when I crib about my comfortable life, the book which now kind of has permanent place on my desk, shall be opened.

A must must read for all, even non-readers.

Some thoughts assimilated around the quest for searching the meaning and not stopping there.

Some actively seek
Some stumble upon
Some carve out the path
Some walk on the lines drawn
Some restlessly stride
Some slowly proceed
Some don’t bother
Some feel the dire need

One way or the other
Now or sometime later
Knowingly or accidentally
Willingly or forcefully
As a means or as an end
We all desire meaning
For the life we are living
Adversities alone
Shouldn’t leave you shaken

Comfort zone can deceive
and let you not awaken
Instant gratification can mislead
Straight paths and clear skies
Doesn’t always mean you’ll succeed

The discovery process
Itself could be tough
What you do, how you think
May not prove enough
Moments when you wanna quit
That’s when you gotta hold your grit

Understanding the purpose
Defining milestones
No matter when
Is a good beginning
Undeterred by hurdles
Giving your best
Lets you discover
Helps you achieve
Your life’s meaning

Buy the book on Amazon