Man’s Search For Meaning

Man’s Search For Meaning Full Chapter Book Notes

 

The book explores the background and theoretical implication of logotherapy by looking back at the bloody and criminal history of Nazi Germany. While looking into the meaning of rehabilitation among people in extremis, this book bears the most glorious testimony in the history of human nature. Logotherapy is also known as The Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy after Freudian psychoanalysis and Adlerian psychology. This book was named one of the Ten Most Influential Books in America by the Library of Congress.

 

Overview | Chapter 1

Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

 

When it comes to the conversation of finding meaning in life, people often find this topic to be a bit deep and far from our reach; when in fact, it is a topic that is closely associated with our lives.

 

More often than not, we find ourselves depressed and in pain due to certain negative experiences; experiences such as loosing a job, breaking up with our spouse or loved ones, or being involved in an accident. These experiences have the tendency of making us question our self-worth and plunging us into a deep state of depression and hurt.

 

When faced with these situations, we often associate the source of these negative emotions to anything that makes us feel unhappy. However, we rarely come to grip with the core problem, which is the fact that we are yet to find meaning in life or at least, have lost grip of it.

 

You might wonder, what does this book offer to bring us out from these situations? This book offers a way out of depression and negative emotions through the use of logotherapy. This concept, when applied successfully, is certain to reignite your passion for living by helping you find meaning in life.

 

It is worth noting that the birth place of the concept of logotherapy is Germany’s notorious Auschwitz camp during the Second World War. Many are familiar with the bloody and criminal history of Nazi Germany. Yet, only a few know that those who survived the inhuman torture in those concentration camps weren’t as thrilled and happy to be free. To them, it felt like hitting rock bottom again.

 

Why you may wonder, who would be unhappy to be free of such inhumane circumstance? The reason for this will be clear to you momentarily. The book Man’s Search For Meaning was named one of the Ten Most Influential Books in America by the Library of Congress.

 

The author of this book, Viktor E. Frankl, was a Jewish Austrian psychologist. During World War II, Frankl gave up the opportunity to flee to America for the sake of his aging parents. Hence, the whole family was imprisoned in Auschwitz camp. Facing such damning circumstance, Frankl was neither demoralized nor pessimistic. Not only did he strived to survive, he used his personal experience in Auschwitz to create logotherapy, thereby helping many people find meaning and rehabilitation from extremis. He has published 39 works that have been translated into 34 languages and sold around the globe.

 

To better understand Viktor E Frankl’s teaching from this book, we will discuss the key points therein in three vital parts:

 

In the first Part, we will discuss the Background of the concept of logotherapy;

 

In the second Part, we will take a look at How to find meaning in life?

 

And in the third Part, we will highlight the Three-step method to achieving meaning in life.

12 Rules For Life 

12 Rules For Life Full Chapter Book Notes

 

Pain is inevitable in life, but there are ways to alleviate it. This book provides twelve rules for us to abide by, each corresponding to a common life problem. When facing life’s conundrums, we should adopt a positive attitude, set goals, engage with issues, solve them, and take responsibility for our lives. When dealing with negative emotions, we should actively find ways to remove obstacles, establish a better outlook, and live a truthful life.

 

Overview | Chapter 1

Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today, we are going to unlock the book 12 Rules for Life, An Antidote to Chaos.

 

If someone says, dignified or worthless, people live like lobsters, would you agree? Don’t be so quick to shoot down the idea. Imagine one of your friends serves a lobster at a dinner party and asks everyone’s opinion of the impressive dish. What do you think they would say? Probably something along the lines of “Looks delicious!” or “Wow! Such a big lobster!”, right? Then, what if your friend continued by asking, “Who knows if this lobster is a king or a loser?”, most people would find this question laughable. Do lobsters even have such classifications? Yes, in reality, they actually do.

 

Lobsters shed their shells as they grow. When they molt, their bodies become soft, and the lobsters know they need to protect themselves from the outside environment, so finding a safe place to stay is vital. Unfortunately, good places are few and far between. Conflict may erupt when two lobsters have their eyes on the same territory.

 

The Lobsters’ fight for territory can be divided into different stages. At first, they may compare pincer sizes to judge which is the biggest. If an inevitable winner can’t be decided by such a method, the lobsters will begin a desperate whipping competition using their antennae. Only after that point does the real battle commence. Two lobsters, now worked up and angry, wrestle one another. Each aims to flip the other over onto its back. Sometimes the fight is to the death. But the process of the conflict is not our focus here. What is important is that once the battle is over, the defeated lobster, no matter how brave it was previously, completely loses the will to fight. Even if in the future they encounter lobsters they had defeated in past battles, they will flee rather than fight another time. It seems that after a single failure, the defeated lobster’s brain is rewired. The lobster becomes a loser, through and through. Sadly, the same phenomena can happen to humans too. After suffering major blows in their careers or relationships, many people allow themselves to embrace a loser identity.

 

Indeed, living is not always smooth, and we will encounter unexpected pain and suffering throughout life. However, do we really want to accept the life of a loser? Is that a responsible way to face the world? Are there strategies we can adopt to be easier on ourselves?

 

To these questions, in 12 Rules for Life, the author Jordan Peterson provides definite answers. Peterson worked as a dishwasher, a chef, a beekeeper, a worker on an oil field and various other manual-laboring occupations in order to survive. Through his own efforts, he aspired to become a teacher and is now a popular professor, highly respected by his students, and indeed, one of the most important thinkers on the world stage. He has been described by those he has taught as one of their top three life-changing lecturers.

The Power of Now

The Power of Now Full Chapter Book Notes

 

The Power of Now is a classic book by Eckhart Tolle which has been on the Amazon Best Sellers for seventeen years. Since its publication, it has been translated into more than fifty languages and sold more than five million copies worldwide. In the book, Tolle makes an in-depth analysis of the causes of people’s suffering and tells people how to extricate themselves from suffering. This has a strong guiding significance for modern people who are under great pressure at work and are plagued by negative emotions such as anger, anxiety and depression.

 

Overview | Chapter 1

Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today, we will introduce you to the book Power of Now.

 

In recent years, people’s pace of life is accelerating, and the pressure of competition is also increasing. This leads to frequent occurrences of depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. According to the Global Emotions Report conducted by the analytics company Gallup, over the years, the social negative mood index of global respondents has increased year by year, and people around the world are more depressed, angry, and scared than ever. German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, believes that the life of an individual is a constant struggle. Do you agree? What kind of emotional pain have you experienced in your life? How can we face our pain and be free from it? Perhaps, you can find the answer in the Power of Now.

 

The author of this book is the world-famous spiritual mentor, Eckhart Tolle. In his youth, Tolle also suffered from depression, anxiety and at times was even suicidal. However, just when he was on the brink of complete despair, an unexpected experience miraculously liberated him. Since then, he has been living in a state of serenity and peace.

 

The experience, at that time, completely changed Tolle’s life. Since then, he has devoted himself to explaining, integrating, deepening this change, and sharing his practical experience to others. At present, he gives lectures all over the world. Through teaching, he conveys this message to people in simple and clear language: we can free ourself from this pain and move deeply into the world of inner peace.

 

The Power of Now which originated from Tolle’s lectures, seminars and consulting meetings, is a classic. This book helps us realize that we feel pain and live with constant anxiety because we have been under the control of our brain. We are constantly recalling the past and worrying about the future, when in truth the past and the future are just meaningless conceptions of time. Everything is happening in the present and that is all we will truly ever have. Only by focusing on the Now can we be free from pain and achieve inner peace and serenity.

 

Let’s read this book for you from the following three aspects:

 

Part One: Why do people feel pain?

 

Part Two: How does moving deeply into the Now ease pain?

 

Part Three: How can we move deeply into the Now?

The Art Of War

The Art Of War Full Chapter Book Notes

 

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, also known as Sun Wu’s Art of War, is the earliest military book known in China and the world’s first military treatise. It is known as the scripture of military science and the first book of war. The Art of War played an essential guiding role in ancient China’s system of military education and the practice of war. It is not only a luminous treasure in China’s military heritage, but also remains, to this day, the cornerstone of military wisdom handed down from ancient times.

 

Overview | Chapter 1

Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock The Art of War for you.

 

If we consider war to be a feast of death, then military strategies and tactics are the philosophy of fighting for survival. They are experience and wisdom gained through bloodshed. Such plans and precision maneuvers not only concern the survival of a country, as success or failure on the battlefield determines a nation’s future, but war also seals the fate of every individual. Whenever a war breaks out, lives are at stake, and that’s why military tactics are of utmost importance.

 

To understand the maneuvers on the battlefield, The Art of War is indispensable. It is the oldest book on military strategy, initiating this field of study. It provides essential guidance both to ancient Chinese military studies and modern warfare. Based on predecessors now lost, the book summarizes archaic principles and axioms relating to combat and further develops these into a system of military theory. Any reader opening the book will encounter a comprehensive description of the military methodology, from necessary preparation prior to the battle and the application of strategy in the field to the deployment, ordinance, and the study of your enemy. With the philosophy of dialectical materialism, The Art of War is regarded as the essence of early Chinese military thought. This book is a piece of esteemed Chinese cultural heritage, a jewel in the crown and often hailed as the “sacred book of military science” and the “best book on military from ancient times”.

 

However, although this book’s subject is war, it does not advocate conflict. Instead, Sun Tzu encourages leaders always to try peaceful means first and use force as a last resort, going into a war only when the other party was uncooperative. Sun Tzu believes that supreme excellence is not to win every battle, as the most effective action is breaking the enemy’s resistance without needing to put up a fight. Moreover, he pointed out that some generals’ excellent skill in waging war is not because they are born to be aggressive warriors but because they understand how to secure favorable circumstances before the battle starts. On the other side, those destined to lose will be the first to plunge in with a display of their might and look for opportunities as an afterthought. For Sun Tzu, it is never wise to meet your enemy head-to-head in battle. Only by attacking an army’s weaknesses and avoiding clashing against their advantages can a great commander use his troop maneuvers to work a triumphant miracle.

 

These insights go some way to explain the enduring popularity of The Art of War. The book ranges far beyond military schemes and tricks, considering strategy at its highest level, where it becomes a wise philosophy for life. So, to this day, the book continues to have great relevance.

Man’s Search For Meaning

Man’s Search For Meaning Full Chapter Book Notes

 

The book explores the background and theoretical implication of logotherapy by looking back at the bloody and criminal history of Nazi Germany. While looking into the meaning of rehabilitation among people in extremis, this book bears the most glorious testimony in the history of human nature. Logotherapy is also known as The Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy after Freudian psychoanalysis and Adlerian psychology. This book was named one of the Ten Most Influential Books in America by the Library of Congress.

 

Overview | Chapter 1

Hi, welcome to Bookey. Today we will unlock the book Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.

 

When it comes to the conversation of finding meaning in life, people often find this topic to be a bit deep and far from our reach; when in fact, it is a topic that is closely associated with our lives.

 

More often than not, we find ourselves depressed and in pain due to certain negative experiences; experiences such as loosing a job, breaking up with our spouse or loved ones, or being involved in an accident. These experiences have the tendency of making us question our self-worth and plunging us into a deep state of depression and hurt.

 

When faced with these situations, we often associate the source of these negative emotions to anything that makes us feel unhappy. However, we rarely come to grip with the core problem, which is the fact that we are yet to find meaning in life or at least, have lost grip of it.

 

You might wonder, what does this book offer to bring us out from these situations? This book offers a way out of depression and negative emotions through the use of logotherapy. This concept, when applied successfully, is certain to reignite your passion for living by helping you find meaning in life.

 

It is worth noting that the birth place of the concept of logotherapy is Germany’s notorious Auschwitz camp during the Second World War. Many are familiar with the bloody and criminal history of Nazi Germany. Yet, only a few know that those who survived the inhuman torture in those concentration camps weren’t as thrilled and happy to be free. To them, it felt like hitting rock bottom again.

 

Why you may wonder, who would be unhappy to be free of such inhumane circumstance? The reason for this will be clear to you momentarily. The book Man’s Search For Meaning was named one of the Ten Most Influential Books in America by the Library of Congress.

 

The author of this book, Viktor E. Frankl, was a Jewish Austrian psychologist. During World War II, Frankl gave up the opportunity to flee to America for the sake of his aging parents. Hence, the whole family was imprisoned in Auschwitz camp. Facing such damning circumstance, Frankl was neither demoralized nor pessimistic. Not only did he strived to survive, he used his personal experience in Auschwitz to create logotherapy, thereby helping many people find meaning and rehabilitation from extremis. He has published 39 works that have been translated into 34 languages and sold around the globe.

 

To better understand Viktor E Frankl’s teaching from this book, we will discuss the key points therein in three vital parts:

 

In the first Part, we will discuss the Background of the concept of logotherapy;

 

In the second Part, we will take a look at How to find meaning in life?

 

And in the third Part, we will highlight the Three-step method to achieving meaning in life.