mikeyarmo
Co-Founder
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2006
- Messages
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I read a book a couple month's ago that I thought was something that could really help a lot of IBD sufferers (or anyone else for that matter) evaluate their condition and how they deal with it. It is unfortunate that so many of us get upset or depressed based on how our disease affects us and for the confusion of trying to treat it, but I think this book can help people think about their condition in a new light.
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is the story of how a man found meaning in his life after his wife was killed and he was sent to a concentration camp during World War 2, where death seemed inevitable.
The main premise of the book is that the main purpose of our lives is not to find pleasure, but rather to find meaning in what we do. Regardless of what is going on in the external world that we can't control, we always have control over what we think. In the way that "one man's junk is another man's treasure", meaning in our lives can come in any form that is special to us and it should not rely on what external pressures/forces dictate should be meaningful.
One story in the book revolved around a man who was confined to a wheelchair and had little if any control over his extremities. Yet he was happy and was able to take university courses, which gave his life great meaning. As someone who is currently enrolled in university and has often complained about aspects to others or with my peers, it reminded me how fortunate I am to be able to do this.
The book really reminded me how we really should be grateful for what we do have, and while it is very easy to think about what we do not have, in some ways it is even easier to think about what we do have compared to others. By being able to read this on the internet alone provides you with a privledge that not everyone can take advantage of.
I found a copy of Man's Search for Meaning/[URL] at my local library, and I highly recommend you consider picking up this book as well.
If you have any other books you would like to recommend feel free to do so in this thread as well.
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is the story of how a man found meaning in his life after his wife was killed and he was sent to a concentration camp during World War 2, where death seemed inevitable.
The main premise of the book is that the main purpose of our lives is not to find pleasure, but rather to find meaning in what we do. Regardless of what is going on in the external world that we can't control, we always have control over what we think. In the way that "one man's junk is another man's treasure", meaning in our lives can come in any form that is special to us and it should not rely on what external pressures/forces dictate should be meaningful.
One story in the book revolved around a man who was confined to a wheelchair and had little if any control over his extremities. Yet he was happy and was able to take university courses, which gave his life great meaning. As someone who is currently enrolled in university and has often complained about aspects to others or with my peers, it reminded me how fortunate I am to be able to do this.
The book really reminded me how we really should be grateful for what we do have, and while it is very easy to think about what we do not have, in some ways it is even easier to think about what we do have compared to others. By being able to read this on the internet alone provides you with a privledge that not everyone can take advantage of.
I found a copy of Man's Search for Meaning/[URL] at my local library, and I highly recommend you consider picking up this book as well.
If you have any other books you would like to recommend feel free to do so in this thread as well.
