Man's search for meaning by Victor E Frankl, 8 Questions with Kashif Nasir

23rd March 2020, what are we celebrating?

23rd March 2020, what are we celebrating?

The IMF loans, The supposedly rigged election, the inflation, the forced disappearances, the teachers on strike, the young doctors on strike, the increasing number of youth who wants to flee the country, the joblessness, the pollution, the corruption, the suicides, the forced conversions, the sons of military men who are harassing the civilians, the Panama scandal or the papa john’s pizza scandal?
Oh sorry, it’s about the war machines show, the patriotic songs and the banners, right.

Please tell me when was the last time a tank was used? In 1965 war, or 1971 war, anyway it was more than fifty years ago.

During the last fifty years we haven’t used a tank. We haven’t used any weapon because we had no wars. The Siachen and Kargil conflict, minor conflicts compared to the full blown wars.

For fifty years these things have been kept in store rooms. They have served no purpose.

George Orwell says in his novel 1984. The question was how to keep the industry’s wheels turning without increasing the standard of living. In a world where everyone had a car and his own house the major difference between social classes would already disappear.

The answer is spending the energy and money on a floating fortress (any sort of military weapon). It serves no purpose but to waste the surplus of the industry, which if used properly would increase the standard of living of the masses. Which eventually would cause the annihilation of the class pyramid.

The only use for floating fortress is to break it down and later remake a bigger floating fortress. Endlessly waste the surplus of industry.

Orwell also predicts that there will be no more wars. The conflicting powers have reached a power balance. With modern day weapons, if it came to war all of them will be destroyed.

Yet they keep collecting weapons waiting for that fateful moment when they will get the opportunity to strike first and destroy the enemy country so completely that they will not be able to retaliate.

Nationalism, an absolute idea

Nationalism is a tribal idea: “My tribe is better than yours”
The idea has its root in pride one of the greatest human vices.
Where is the evidence that one tribe could be better than the other?
Nationalism or patriotism might have worked in past. But this idea is based on competition and world needs cooperation. Remember in the age of industrialization Britain, Spain, Rome and other powers competed for raw materials. Which lead to colonization, No good can come out of competition. Haven’t we learned anything from history?

Imagine, instead of competing if India and Pakistan cooperated. Easier trade, easier travel, less investment in weapons more money to spend on health and education.
Patriotism is cashed in political rallies. Anti-Pakistan stance sells in India and Anti-India stance in Pakistan. The citizens don’t hate each other. The politicians gain votes by selling patriotism.
There is only one department which benefits from war. Nobody else wants it.

Foreign policy

When Benazir came in to power. She was told that she won’t interfere in the foreign policy.

The foreign policy on both sides of the border is designed by you-know-who. Pakistan and India both had weak democratic governments from the start. You know what happened to the founding fathers, Gandhi was shot, Liaqat Ali Khan was shot, Nehru died of heart attack, Fatima Jinnah was labeled traitor by you-know-who.

When foreign policy is being designed by a certain institute, that institute will make sure of its own privileges.
Pakistan and India cannot reach peace until the foreign policy comes in to the hands of democratic governments.

Man’s search for meaning ten questions with Kashif Nasir

Man’s search for meaning ten questions with Kashif Nasir


Have I found the meaning of my life?

You see in the book, professor victor is looking back at his memories of his imprisonment in the Nazi camp. It is later he realizes that he has found meaning in his experience.
Similarly I can say that I too have found meaning in my experiences, my close friends are aware of my history, some internet friends also know my problem.
Anyway, People tell me that I am a good listener or I am kind. I think that, what I am today is because of my past my experience, so to answer the question. Indeed I have found a meaning, in words of Parveen Shakir,
Bin aqs ainay ka hunr b na khul ska,
Gham k baghair qlb o nazr ko jila kahan,
I have found the meaning that suffering makes one kinder and wiser, it builds character. But some may say I have avoided the question, So I would say the meaning of my life is I have realized is to accept a reality but still live with dignity to carry the cross without complain.

Has the book convinced me?
Yes it has, but let me answer why it has convinced me.
Man’s search for meaning is not your ordinary self help book. Professor victor isn’t selling cheap impractical formula for something that is advertised as “success”.
Professor victor has in fact suffered; he has suffered in Nazi concentrations camp. So when he says that he has found meaning in his suffering I believe him. I think it was Emerson who said, “What you are screams so loudly in my ears that I cannot hear what you say” and that’s true for professors Victor one can simply be convinced by his life story.

What would I say if someone asked what is the meaning of their life?
It’s a difficult question to answer because each individual is unique and meaning of life would be different for everyone. But if someone asked me, what would be the meaning of their life, I would tell them that stop asking this question, meaning of life is like happiness you cannot chase it, you cannot force it, it must follow as a consequence like Professor Victor says in the book. Happiness is consequence of something you enjoy, similarly your meaning of life also would be consequence of your everyday life experiences, just try to understand your life and the meaning will be revealed to you.

Why was I unable to finish the book?
Talha brother is a very nice person, but generally speaking why one isn’t able to get in to a book. May be the time isn’t right? Maybe you presently can’t relate to the subject, may be the book will speak to you in future, Man’s search for meaning is a book for people who are looking for answers, it also possible that the answer you are seeking might not be in this book.

Who would you recommend this book and why?

Recommending a book is always risky, people question your intentions, you recommend this book to someone, and first thing they will ask you “do you think I am suicidal?”

Anyway, I would recommend this book to anyone who has become tired of their everyday routine, anyone who wonders, at the end of the week, or month or year, that what’s the point of all this, why am I doing this, it doesn’t even matters,

As to why I would recommend it is because

This book has enough logic to create doubt, it can influence your perspective, so where once you saw futility, you might see hope, you just might stop being unhappy.

Why haven’t I committed suicide yet?

Anyway I am going to answer the question because I think it will benefit many people.
I think all of us have considered it at a certain time. Personally I wouldn’t do it because my parents won’t be able to deal with it.
Which brings to professor victor’s point, listen to this carefully it might help a lot of people. There are two point professors victor makes.

He asks his suicidal patients why haven’t they committed suicide yet, eventually his patients reveal something that’s precious to them, it could be a child, it could be a project, and basically it is something which needs that person in order to exist. There is someone who needs you, there is a project a book or something only you can write only you can finish and that’s why you shouldn’t do it.
Which brings me to Professor Victor’s second point
In second point he questions people who had failed suicide attempts. And these people according to professor tell him that they are very thankful that they failed.
The point is suicide results from a lack of options in a certain situation, but the thing is in future the situation might change, but in order for you to see that new situation those change circumstances you must leave to see that day.

How has this book helped me overcome my existential crises?

An existential crisis is the biggest problem of our generation. it has its roots in automation, all our work is automated, so we are having more and more free time, and we have no idea what to do with it.
Secondly there are busy people who also experience existential crises. An existential crisis is caused by finding no meaning in one’s life.

Personally in this book professor victor suggests three ways to overcome existential crises is
1) Loving someone unconditionally,
2) Finding meaning in your suffering
3) Dedicating yourself to something.

For me it is literature, I have a channel when I think my opinion might help humanity I post, I have a blog, when I feel inspired I land a poem, I am working with a magazine and all this has made a lot of difference. So I think I used the third option from professor victor’s book.

How has the book changed my life?

This book has created doubt in my life theory, I was influenced by Richard Dawkin’s selfish gene, a book which tells you human beings are survival machines, that we are controlled by multi cellular organisms, that we have no will and our bodies are merely vehicles survival machines for those organisms.
People have lost sleep after reading this book.
But man’s search for meaning shifted my perspective from nihilism, this book convinced me that man actions matter, so in past I was resigned to life but now I feel myself involved. My actions matter. My behavior affects people.

What’s the inner hold which determines people’s actions in pressure situations?

It’s a big question, what determines our actions in a certain situation, logically it’s mostly emotion and instinct, why people act the way they act? I can’t answer this, I don’t know, I guess you will have to read the book to find out, or maybe observe the people around you, but most importantly observe your actions, why you did what you did, and you will realize most of the actions came from instinct of self preservation.