I'm really glad that I read this book again, especially at this time of year. It's a great time to get 2008 spinning in the right direction, and I am reminded that where it goes is my choice. To me, that is what this book was about. Each of us, no matter how deprived, depraved, or neurotic can choose kindness, compassion, and dignity. That's something that I've always "known", but even last night when my sweet baby woke up at 1:30 and cried for an hour and a half I wanted to spank her bum! Such a simple concept, yet so hard to execute. Isn't life grand? Needless to say, I'm glad for this little reminder!
For those of you who read this book, let us know what you thought. No specific question--just what stuck out to you, what you enjoyed, what you didn't, etc.
Enjoy the last few days of January, and I'll see you suckers next month!
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2 comments:
I'm so grateful to have read this book. Thanks for the recommendation, Lindy!
My two favorite thoughts from the book:
1) As Lindy mentioned: there are always choices to make. Frankl calls this the "last of human freedoms." When these individuals were literally left with nothing and could very easily take the apathetic approach (which it seems many did), the true strength was not visible in their frail bodies, but in their minds and hearts. What a challenge to have their freedom and dignity so blatantly threatened. And yet, there were those who refused to submit and embraced their ability to choose their attitude in the worst of circumstances. What an example! I mean, how often have I felt like a "victim" of my own circumstances in order to justify my own feelings of resentment, frustration, helplessness, procrastination, etc. etc. It's true that this was a profound reminder for me too.
2) I also liked the warning against looking to the past in order to make the present seem less real. Frankl mentioned some inmates who would only discuss their past lives and thus "overlooked opportunities to make something positive of camp life." This kind of reminded me of Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, and warned me against believing that the real opportunities of life have passed. Hooray for embracing the past, present, AND future.
Anyway, it was a good read. I admit I enjoyed the first part of the book more than the second, more technical part. It was nevertheless motivating and moving. And isn't that what The Finer Things Book Club is all about?
Lily, you said it -- that is what the Finer Things Book Club is about. I am also glad that we read this book. I admit, I haven't finished it yet -- my book got lost for a while -- but what I have read so far has been very enlightening.
The most significant idea for me so far from the book goes along with Lindy's first question -- about what we do to make ourselves significant. I really saw a lot of myself in that--I have spent a lot of my life racing around trying to do things that will make my life meaningful or give me value. Someone brought that to my attention recently and made a poignant and somewhat painful remark that our value/worth is inherent and to think that what we do increases or decreases that value is another way of saying, "I'm better than you because ...." That attitude is a precursor to pride, or to resentment. I think it also fosters the kind of ugliness that the Capos exhibited to their fellow prisoners.
Anyway. I don't know if that's coherent, but those are my thoughts. I have really enjoyed the book so far and I'm excited to finish it.
(Also, kudos to Lily for being able to find a Napolean Dynamite analogy to Frankl. I loved it.)
Anyway. I don't
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