Christian Ethics-Final Exam Paper

Name: KATHERINE P.
ATIENZA
Reaction Paper on Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Viktor Frankl
The book Man’s search for meaning was a book written by Dr. Viktor Frankl
which is an autobiography of his years of stay as a Nazi prisoner and an expression
of his ideas about the meaning of life. He spent 3 years of suffering at Auschwitz
and other Nazi camps. The said experiences led to the development of his theory
of Logotherapy. The same states that the primary force in human beings is to find
meaning in life. As an illustration, Frankl gave an account of the horrors of his
confinement which brought him to the first stage; Shock and elevated to the
second stage which was apathy. Apathy was brought about by the daily
suffering, death and torture he experiences everyday that such became a
common place sights for the prisoner after weeks of camp life that such acts
could not move him anymore. Apathy, the blunting of the emotions and the
feeling that one could not care anymore, were the symptoms arising during the
second stage of the prisoner’s psychological reactions, and which eventually
made him insensitive to daily and hourly beatings. In the book, Frankl was able to
sustain himself partly for the love of his wife, who unbeknownst to him was already
dead. He narrated how he made daily conversations with his wife. His wife’s
image clung to him with an uncanny acuteness. It was then that he realized the
truth that love is the ultimate and highest goal to which a man can aspire. He
grasped the meaning and greatest secret that human poetry and human
thought and belief have to impart; the salvation of man is through love and in
love. In a moment of spiritual insight, he realized that his love was stronger and
more meaningful than death, and would be a real and sustaining force within him
even if he knew his wife was dead. Frankl's comrades also had reasons to live that
gave them strength. One had a child waiting for him; another was a scientist who
was working on a series of books that needed to be finished.
Frankl also discussed his realization on his retention of human dignity. He

explained that Even though conditions such as lack of sleep, insufficient food and
various mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in
certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the
prisoner became was the result of an inner decision, and not the result of camp
influences alone. Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such
circumstances, decide what shall become of him—mentally and spiritually. He
may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp.
Ultimately, Frankl found meaning through their decision to accept and bear
their fate with courage. He explained that the way in which a man accepts his
fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives
him ample opportunity—even under the most difficult circumstances—to add a
deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the
bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no
more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to
forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may
afford him.
In connection with his realization on fate was his discourse on suffering. He

quoted Dostoevski “There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my
sufferings.” These words frequently came to Frankl’s after he became acquainted
with those martyrs whose behavior in camp, whose suffering and death, bore
witness to the fact that the last inner freedom cannot be lost. He added that it
can be said that they were worthy of their sufferings; the way they bore their
suffering was a genuine inner achievement. It is this spiritual freedom—which
cannot be taken away—that makes life meaningful and purposeful.
After Frankl's prison experience, he returned to his profession of psychiatry,

he found that his theory of meaning held true not only for the prisoners but for all
people. Since then, he had great success in working with patients by helping
them find in their own lives’ meanings of love, work, and suffering.
One of my reactions of the book was the fact that a man does have a
choice of action. That as a normal reaction to an abnormal situation, the stage
of apathy can be arrived at but nevertheless, it can be overcome. That irritability,
can be suppressed.
The reading made an impression to me that the human mind can

overcome any condition. Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of
independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of and physical stress.
It also made me realize that no man can be completely robbed of his

freedom. As worldly possession and movement of activities can be removed and
restricted but one thing, the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s
attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. In this
connection lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the
opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him.
And this decides whether he is worthy of his sufferings or not.
The book also made me realize that a man who let himself decline because
he could not see any future goal found himself occupied with retrospective
thoughts there is the tendency to look into the past, to help make the present,
with all its horrors, less real. But in robbing the present of its reality there lay a certain
danger. It became easy to overlook the opportunities to make something positive
of camp life, opportunities which really did exist. Yet, in reality, there was an
opportunity and a challenge. One could make a victory of those experiences,
turning life into an inner triumph, or one could ignore the challenge and simply
vegetate.
We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the

despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but
rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning
of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by
life— daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in
right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to
find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets
for each individual. Thus, the question on the meaning of life differs from man to
man. It is impossible to define life in a general term since each man has his own
destiny to fulfill.
Lastly, the book made me realize that in times when man feels that he no
longer has anything to look forward to, man must keep in mind that it is a question
of getting man to realize that life was still expecting something from him;
something in the future was expected of him.
In conclusion, the book is a good read for those who would like to find out
the meaning of life and the purpose of one’s existence.

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Name: KATHERINE P.

Reaction Paper on Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Viktor Frankl

Frankl also discussed his realization on his retention of human dignity. He

In connection with his realization on fate was his discourse on suffering. He

After Frankl's prison experience, he returned to his profession of psychiatry,

The reading made an impression to me that the human mind can

It also made me realize that no man can be completely robbed of his

We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the

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