Melissa Clevenger

SLA 150 46

Faith, Religion & Society

March 27, 2021

In reading Man’s Search for Meaning, I felt like I did more than just read a book. I feel as though
I had an inside view to a spiritual journey that I could connect with myself. There were many
parts of this book where I stopped and re-read the passages because of the significance they had
to me.

The most powerful quote I read was on page 68, “everything can be taken from a man 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.” The next couple pages really spoke to me. In our Faith, Religion &
Theology book, it is covered that we reach a point in our lives where we have the freedom of
choice in our spirituality. There is a correlation between these two texts. Once we mature enough
to have the freedom of choice, we can then learn to calculate and control our choices. Frankl
talks about how it was believed that one’s reactions were based on the circumstances they were
facing and how that was actually very far from the truth. The truth is that we all have a choice.
We decide how we react to circumstances around us. We decide how to display our feelings, if
we give up or carry on, if we show strength or crumble. “Any man can, even under such
circumstances, decide what shall become of him- mentally and spiritually.” Something I
personally struggle with continuously is how I choose to react to situations. I would like to
continue to work towards the dignity and strength of Frankl. I am a firm believer in a positive
attitude, despite how hard it may be for us all to maintain one in times of hopelessness. Frankl
explains that how we choose to react in times of despair can add to a deeper meaning in life. We
should strive to remain unselfish- a hard task for most in times of upset when it is all too easy to
feel selfish and wallow in self-pity. He also explains that if we do not remain dignified and make
positive decisions in our reactions, we can “become no more than an animal.” The very best of
people is often seen when bad things happen or they are going through a difficult situation,
because of how the attitude they have chosen to display. Our class text mentions on-going
learning as a steppingstone of faith. This topic specifically feels like something that requires
ongoing learning all throughout our lives. We must continue to study how to positively react and
control out emotions and actions. We must continue to use our faith and strengthen our faith so
that it becomes easier to channel our faith in difficult times. That will help us to handle situations
better. In may be in suffering that we have to work our hardest, but suffering is inevitable. With
that knowledge, we can prevail.

Another passage that spoke to me was “the prisoner who had lost faith in the future-his future-
was doomed.” Frankl describes how he had seen this with many of the inmates and that it
frequently manifested with something that appeared insignificant. Perhaps someone refused to
bathe or eat. That was just the beginning to the following giving up. As someone who has
suffered with depression my whole life, I know how quickly this kind of situation can go
downhill. I also know how important a positive mindset can be. Even when we are amid a
terrible situation, or a really bad day, we cannot let ourselves become consumed by what is
happening now. We absolutely cannot let ourselves slide back into the past. We must continue to
think about the future, we must continue to keep our faith in tomorrow. It is very important to
have faith and truthfully believe that tomorrow will be better, that better times are ahead of us
and that we can conquer and prevail through whatever hard times we are currently dealing with.
Suffering doesn’t last forever, though it may seem like it does while we are in the heat of the
moment. With depression, it is common to have a hard time getting out of current mindsets
during bad times. I have personally experienced how having faith in tomorrow can heal. I’ve
seen how depression can destroy the mind, how easy it is to lose faith, and how those
deteriorations can manifest into physical deterioration. In our class text, the section Human Faith
Needs to be Nurtured, a young woman experiences a classmate who took her own life. Her life
seemed to be great, and yet she suffered with depression. It appears she had in fact, lost her faith
in the future. Perhaps this is where ongoing learning takes place. Had she continued to pursue her
faith and keep it alive, or had she gotten sucked up in the despair of today and lost faith in
tomorrow? I can only hope we all make the best of situations we are dealt and continue to have
faith in the future.

Throughout reading both our class text and Man’s Search for Meaning, these themes have
become large thoughts of contemplation in my mind. They have ignited a spark in me to get back
on my faith journey, as I have neglected it in the past few years. I have let myself make bad
decisions about how I react to situations. I have found myself wallowing in self-pity at times and
I have looked back on situations and thought to myself “I wish I reacted differently.” I have felt
shame in reactions I have made inside of dignity. Those decisions were all my own and I could
have done things differently, if I had taken the time to think before I reacted. I’ve also been in
situations where giving up seemed like a viable option instead of prevailing and living for
tomorrow instead of today. I have found myself spiraling in the moment and becoming
devastated very quickly. I’ve also found myself after situations telling myself it wasn’t that bad,
and I was devastated unnecessarily because it will all be ok; things will get better. Reading this
book has been an incredibly personal journey for me. I suppose my own faith journey has been
nonexistent for some time. The past few weeks, however, have sparked a desire in me to return
on the journey of faith. Frankl states “man is ultimately self-determining" and that is where I
would like to end this essay. We all have the power to decide who we are and how we act, and
that is the most important thing I have learned.