Publisher's Synopsis
COVER - Roman Emperor, Caligula - special permission from Getty Images........THIS modern, contemporary, existential and philosophical narrative is about things which are difficult to talk about - but empowering to read about. It is written in Oxford English, however informally, with the intention to stimulate thoughts about existential topics - by being only a 10% contribution - so the reader participates with the other 90% of the "iceberg" - which might be very healthy for us to do today (look at the World!). The text is not intended to provoke, but to open up to new horizonts...............WHETHER you're an atheist, spiritual, Nature believer or religious - making sense of the world is for everyone, as most of us would like to find meaning and purpose in life, including the bad and ugly stuff that happens in the world...............CAN we learn something about the meaning of life from someone who survived the Holocaust? What about an existentialist Nobel Prize author?...............Is there a meaning in life? Is there meaning in pain and suffering? What is evil? What is good?...............THE short, condensed narrative is not religious but philosophical & existential. It is inspired by thoughts by the Holocaust survivor Viktor E. Frankl, and the Nobel Prize author Albert Camus (please see below). Therefore, it includes the rather polarizing word G o d but explains it openly and perhaps in a new way, to include everyone, without offending anyone...............IT includes THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE THEORY which uses philosophical logic and reason to intellectually explain and to give meaning to pain and suffering in the context of good and evil and the meaning of life - especially regarding some of life's biggest questions and most tragic and evil occurrences - but also the good things in life.....THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE THEORY is an existential hypothesis to help us respond with meaning to some of LIFE'S BIGGEST QUESTIONS, including.....IS there a general meaning in life?.....WHY is there so much pain and suffering?.....WHY is there so much violence and evil in the world, including wars, murders and crimes?.....WHY is there so much corruption, injustice, lack of human rights, exploitation, and extreme inequality?.....CAN there be meaning in accidents, or if Nature kills hundreds or thousands, including innocent children?.....CAN there be any compensation for innocent victims of extremely evil, criminal acts, victims of war, victims of genocide?.....WHY do evildoers seem to get away with extremely evil acts unpunished?.....IF G o d is almighty and all powerful, why does G o d allow bad things to happen?.....IS there a relationship between Nature and what we call G o d?.....WHO is G o d?.....WHAT is G o d?.....WHAT is good?.....WHAT is evil?...............AGAIN: These words are open for all - whether they call themselves atheists, spiritual, Nature believers or religious etc. And that's why the narrative's existential conclusions include all of them, inclusive of the world's three Abrahamic religions, and those who's mentality is universal - but please note: Only by respecting everyone, and not by offending anyone................FROM THE AUTHOR: These thoughts are mine but based on juxtaposing two main sources which are cited accordingly throughout the book: MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by the Holocaust survivor and professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, VIKTOR E. FRANKL PhD - a story about his own survival in four Nazi concentration camps during WW2 - and including his so-called LOGOTHERAPY - a method created by Dr. Frankl to heal neurosis because of lack of purpose and meaning in life..........THE second most important source is the play CALIGULA - written by the existentialist Nobel Prize author ALBERT CAMUS. The play demonstrates some of the aspects of total power and total evil - and the effect it can have on the beholder of that power. Also: Existential questions from THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus are presented and answer
