Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love.
Viktor E. FranklRead
Our generation is realistic, for we have come to know man as he really is. After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lord's Prayer or the Shema Yisrael on his lips.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the duality of human nature, acknowledging both humanity's capacity for evil and its potential for courage and faith.
Viktor E. Frankl’s quote examines the complex nature of humanity, presenting a stark juxtaposition between the horrific acts humans are capable of, such as the creation of the gas chambers during the Holocaust, and the profound strength they can display in the face of such horrors, as exemplified by those who faced their demise with prayers on their lips. This duality invites reflection on the depths of human experience, emphasizing that within darkness can exist remarkable resilience and hope.
Themes
HumanityDualityCourageFaithSuffering
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about resilience in the face of adversity.
More from Viktor E. Frankl
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Logotherapy sees the human patient in all his humanness. I step up to the core of the patient's being. And that is a being in search of meaning, a being that is transcending himself, a being capable of acting in love for others.
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The more one forgives himself - by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love - the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself.
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