Olivia: When everything is stripped away, what single freedom can never be taken? Welcome to When It Happened. I'm Olivia. Olivia: Today’s book is Viktor Frankl's powerful memoir, Man's Search for Meaning. Frankl, once a successful Viennese psychiatrist, became prisoner number 119,104 in the Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz. His book isn't just about surviving unimaginable horror; it explores our deepest drive – the search for meaning. Frankl observed firsthand what separated those who endured from those who succumbed, leading him to a profound realization during one particularly brutal moment. Olivia: Picture Frankl on a forced march in the freezing Bavarian dawn. Exhausted, starving, feet frostbitten, surrounded by guards and the groans of fellow prisoners. Despair was overwhelming. But then, deliberately, he shifted his focus inward, conjuring the image of his wife, Tilly. He imagined her smile, her encouragement. In that instant, the external misery seemed less important. Love, he realized, transcended the physical suffering, the barbed wire, even death itself. Olivia: This internal pivot wasn't just escape; it was the discovery illuminating his life's work. Frankl grasped the one freedom the Nazis couldn't touch: his power to choose his inner response, his attitude. This became the core of logotherapy – his theory that meaning, often found through love, purposeful work, or dignity in suffering, is our primary motivation. That moment proved that having a 'why' to live for helps us bear almost any 'how'. Olivia: So, what can we take from Frankl’s harrowing experience? First, remember your ultimate freedom: the power to choose your attitude, even when circumstances feel crushing. Second, recognize that love and connection, real or remembered, are profound sources of strength and meaning. That’s our moment for this week on When It Happened. Until next time, keep seeking meaning.