Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl & the Book of Job

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl & the Book of Job

Introduction

The book of Jobs is probably one of the most reflective books in the scriptures. The central point of this book has striking similarities with that of Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning. Due to the quality and nature of the works, both books are considered to be one of the finest literatures.

Discussion

In the book of Job, Gods servants claim that Job is one of the most upright and blameless people of earth and can never commit any evil. On the other hand, Satan clams that the only reason Job is like this is because he is quite well-off and if his riches are taken away, he will curse God just like other people. In order to test Satan's claim, God takes away all of Job's riches and kills his sons and daughters; however, Job remains sincere to God by claiming that since everything is provided by God, he also has the right to take everything away.

This book suggests that man has a duty to serve God in a noble manner and in doing so; he should accept everything God has to offer whether good or bad. Thus, man should never curse God for he is all powerful and knowing and the only reason something bad happens is foe him to test his people to see whether they remain sincere during bad times. Those who remain sincere during bad times are always rewarded. This view is still considered by several people today even though most people do not agree to this.

Similarly, Frankl presents his view that man should never think of the future or his current life since this will limit his life expectancy. His experience at a concentration camp presented a different view of life compared to hid previous thoughts. Life at these camps is harsh since no one knows what lies ahead since death can come at any time. After analyzing his own experience, he came to a conclusion that the psychological reaction consists of three phases at these camps. It focuses on issues of despair and the change in conduct of those who overcame the cruelty inflicted on them.

The divides the life at these camps into three phases: the period when the person is admitted in these camps, the period of imprisonment, and the period after release. According to him, these periods have different challenges. He has witnessed a major change in the behavior of the survivors after their release from the camp. Most of them become violent and take revenge on anyone because of the problems they sustained during their stay at the camps. They also get dishearten after they come to know that their families have been murdered during the war and hence they see no reason for living. When such things happen, life becomes meaningless and the victim often considers unethical behavior and even suicide is ...