Advertise Here
|
Join
The Poetry Empire Webring |
|
"This story is not about the suffering and death of great heroes and martyrs, ....Thus it is not so much concerned with the sufferings of the mighty, but with sacrifices, the crucifixion and the deaths of the great army of unknown and unrecorded victims." |
|
Personal Biography
Name: Viktor Emil Frankl , M.D., Ph.D. |
 |
|
Frankl's character traits: compassion, loyalty, an un-daunting spirit, were traits he would later utilize to overcome odds few will ever encounter. His thirst for life seemed insatiable. At the age of 67, he earned a pilot's license; he was also a skilled mountain climber. Frankl squeezed every possible drop from life. Viktor Frankl tells of his experiences in the concentration camps. From this, one is compelled to reflect upon the many Frankls who were forever lost; their gifts never to be shared with the world. Their thirst lives on in the remembrance of their suffering, and through those who did triumph in the face of great adversity. Frankl was a survivor of four Nazi concentration camps, among them the most infamous, Auschwitz. His wife, father, mother, and brother all died in the camps; only he and his sister survived. In Man's Search For Meaning, Frankl did not consider himself a hero, rather he describes the heroes or "saints" to be among the minority in the camps; those who gave up their portions of bread to others, or gave their lives in order to save someone else Frankl outlines three psychological stages individuals held captive went through as a result of the trauma they experienced: (1)"the period following his admission; (2) the period when he is well entrenched in camp routine; (3) the period following his release and liberation." Shock, and disillusionment encompass the first phase; the second, an emotional death of sorts occurs in order to protect the mind. A shell of apathy is built, known as the blunting of emotions and feelings. It is in this phase, a person ceases to be shocked at the horrors he sees on a daily basis. Viktor Frankl later said of the second phase, "If my lack of emotion had not surprised me from the standpoint of professional interest, I would not remember this incident now, because there was so little feeling involved in it." The third phase involved a slow, gradual process of becoming acclimated with being "free." This psychological stage includes: depersonalization; things appearing not to be real. It is as if the mind does not trust the safety it now sees. The protective shell no longer needed, the mind slowly begins to allow the resurrection of emotions and feelings to emerge, thus the path to becoming human again starts to take place.
Upon being deposited at the camp, Frankl tried to hide in his coat pocket, a scientific manuscript containing his life's work. He soon discovered nothing was held sacred in the eyes of the tormentors. They took every link to his previous life from him; his clothing, all personal items, even the hair on his body; however, they could not strip him of his inner strength, dignity, or his unique insight into the human mind, and spirit. The starvation, beatings, savage living conditions, and prospect of death was his constant reality. The name Viktor Emil Frankl was no longer important to the world he found himself in. His name was now... number 119,104. Frankl describes one cold bleak morning, stumbling for miles on ice to begin another day of ruthless forced labor. He thought of his wife, and in doing so came to an introspective revelation; "A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth-that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and is love." Pieces of bread became more precious a commodity than any gem; sunsets were visions to be
How could anyone under such a primitive existence survive, much less find meaning in life? Viktor Frankl did just this, transcending great odds, he put into practice the theories of psychology he had used to treat former patients. From his pyrrhic victory, was born a provocative new therapy used world over to this day, Logotherapy, and Existential Analysis. "We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one's predicament into a human achievement." Logotherapy, developed and proven by Viktor Frankl has become known as the "Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy." He gives a brief synopsis of the therapy in his book. It is a theory Frankl used not only in his professional life, but also his private one. Logos is a Greek word translated... "meaning." "Logotherapy focuses on the future." According to Frankl, an individual can find meaning in life: (1) " by creating a work or doing a deed;
Viktor Frankl's life serves as a reminder to all, no matter how difficult the path may be, the human spirit is only held back by choosing to give up, before it has had the chance to fly. Frankl leaves an eerie, yet realistic challenge to humanity. "For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best. So let us be alert–alert in a twofold sense: Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake."
|
|
|||||
Advertise Here |
|||||
|
Empire:Zine
is a production of Spyder's
Empire®. ©All rights reserved. Legal
notice. |
eroes are quite rare. They quietly evolve, making their mark upon the world. When they are gone, humanity as a whole is never the same. Such is the case with Viktor E. Frankl, professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, author of 32 books, including Man's Search For Meaning. This book is considered to be a classic. A survey done by the Library of Congress declared it to be among the top 10 influential books in America to date. 
from the gas chambers. He leaves the reader in awe of his determination to survive in the midst of horrendous carnage. Frankl uses words to portray haunting images; designing a masterpiece from the depth of his soul. He paints images, not of extraordinary human beings, but of extraordinary circumstances, which led average individuals to become in their own way, masterpieces of humanity. Anyone who has ever suffered trauma or loss will find comfort in the wisdom reflected in this story.
individuals were herded like animals into train compartments. Frankl gives a dismal view of what awaited.
cherished, saturating the soul. Tears, a sign of great courage to suffer, not a demonstration of weakness in character. One evening when many had already chosen to give up, or thinking of it, Frankl shared his insights with his fellow comrades. He told them not to lose hope, and their sacrifices did mean something in the overall scheme of the world. His comrades responded in kind to him. "I saw the miserable figures of my friends limping toward me to thank me with tears in their eyes." The words of Nietzsche certainly rang true for them... "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how."
1930 - Graduated from the
University of Vienna Medical School
/ Published 1997
Man's
Search for Meaning : An Introduction to Logotherapy
Will
to Meaning : Foundations and Applications of Logotherapy
