I really liked this book. Frankl was a psychiatrist who survived Auschwitz and used those experiences to build a theory of meaning — logotherapy. The first half is his memoir from the camps; the second is the theory itself.
If you find existentialism convincing, I found logotherapy is kind of meaningful (pun).
Recall cards
After you're done reading, use these cards to internalize the ideas.
Why doesn't life's shortness make it meaningless, for Frankl?
Answer in your head, then tap to reveal.Why doesn't life's shortness make it meaningless, for Frankl?
Because the past is permanent. What you've done, loved, and suffered is safely stored and can never be undone, so the present is the moment to fill it.
Frankl compares the pessimist to someone watching a wall calendar grow thinner with fear, and the active person to someone who keeps each torn-off page, with notes on the back about the day.