Man's Search For Meaning
By Victor Frankl.
Summarized by Bukola Odedeyi and voiced by
Uyoh Uyoh
I have a childhood friend who upon the death
of his parents lost it all.
He was tossed from one place to the other
and made to go through terrible ordeals unfit
for a child.
He had asked me one day while i nursed his
bleeding feet, "Is this what i was born for?
A life of suffering and pain?
What hope is there for a pathetic human being
like me?"
A lot of us go through worse situations, we
nurse wounds in private that we dare not show
anyone.
I am sure you know people like my friend who
amount to nothing in life because of how life
has treated them.
Have you ever wondered why you live your life
a certain way?
Are you afraid of your shadow?
When you get hit, do you maintain your ground
and say, "No shaking"?
Nothing seems to faze you or perhaps you are
a crybaby.
Whatever it is you are or your behaviour,
it all comes down to one fact, man's experiences
take a vital role in shaping his life and
ultimately his destiny.
Now you know why you eat fast...perhaps a
younger sibling who just snatches everything
if you are not fast enough.
Lol...just kidding.
The first major lesson in the Man's Search
For Meaning is;
Your life experiences have the power to make
or mar you.
Don’t allow them to mar you.
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Let’s move to the second lesson.
Now that we got that out of the way, let us
move on.
Life is full of surprises, bad ones as well
as good ones.
Bad ones are most common.
How do you get through bad situations?
Or better still, how do you cope?
It is said that when life throws you lemons,
you make should definitely make lemonade out
of it.
Don't you love the taste?
That is for those that have had the privilege
to consume this wonderful drink concocted
by man.
A lemon is a fruit commonly known for its
sour taste.
On the other hand, a lemonade is a drink,
sweet and refreshing on a hot day made from
the sour lemons!
Survival is a choice.
You could just stay down and be a crybaby
or make a decision to do something about your
situation which would lead you to discovering
your life's purpose.
Viktor Frankl with his psychological theory,
logotheraphy tells us that in order to thrive
and in dismal situations, survive, we need
to discover our personal meaning of life.
The Second major lesson in the Man's Search
For Meaning is;
If you have the right approach to bad situations,
it can lead you to a great self-discovery.
.
A world renowned reporter was kidnapped and
after a few years was presumed dead.
After eight years, he resurfaced all skinny
and malnourished but alive and well.
When asked what had kept him going all those
years of torture, he smiled.
"My wife kept me going.
No matter the torture i was put through, i
was unaffected because i was sure she would
be right here waiting for me.
She held my hand through it all so i could
return home to her."
His wife smiled all the while with tears in
her eyes obviously pleased to have her husband
home.
Do you know a woman who could wait like her?
I know a few.
Hope is likened to a lifeline to a drowning
man.
Everyone of us needs something to hold on
to which would be our saving grace against
man's regular struggles.
Without that something that spurs us and holds
us down, we would find ourselves swept away
by the turmoil of life.
The third major lesson in the Man's Search
For Meaning is;
Your life's meaning is your lifeline.
If you know what you’re living for, you
can have hope.
If you have hope, you can go through the toughest
situations in life.
The same situation means different things
to different people.
A demolition project embarked on by the government
brings sorrow to those affected.
For the contractors, it means good business
as they are sure to make more money from this
destruction of property.
Investors in this project are sure to gain
good returns from their investments.
It also happens in life, everyone is different.
The way i perceive a situation is different
from the way you would.
Everyone is uniquely different with no general
way or behaviour.
Trying to act like someone else would get
you nowhere.
It simply won't work.
The fourth major lesson in the Man's Search
For Meaning is;
You’re a unique being.
Life has a different meaning to you and you
must be willing to accept that truth, without
being afraid of other people’s opinions.
As a young boy, i was terribly shy and awkward.
I was constantly scared of stumbling over
things and falling and guess what, i did fall
over and stumble a lot to the great delight
of my classmates who thrived on mockery.
I was asked to be the class monitor by my
class teacher and the response of my beloved
classmates was laughter.
I was resigned to my fate at this stage.
Then one fateful day, i was asked to give
a report in front of the whole school.
I was so terrified i would surely fall and
disgrace myself.
As i stepped towards the podium, i kept expecting
to fall down the stairs but i found myself
on the podium without incident and that was
all.
I made my well-wishers proud that day.
For those that wished me ill, shame all the
way...lol.
That is just it.
When you look forward to confronting your
fears, you end up overcoming them.
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Your fear is not going to kill you but strengthen
you instead.
The fifth major lesson in the Man's Search
For Meaning is;
The only way to overcome your fear is to confront
your fear.
Our life's true meaning springs from our experiences
and how we deal with it.
Our very survival and success depends on this.
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