within infinite possibility. He does not confuse his own
limitations with ultimate limitation, nor does he mistake
his own being with ultimate being.

There is also an extraordinary sense of tolerance in
his thinking--a graciousness in his concession that our
symbols for ultimate meaning only point to a reality we
cannot experience directly. The concentration camps in
which he suffered and in which his loved ones died were,
after all, created to annihilate those who were different.
And so Frankl leaves room for the breadth of human ex-
perience of the metaphysical.

Let God take on an anthropomorphic form for some.
For others, let God be confused with the self. After all, ul-
timate meaning is certainly able to absorb the finitude of
our attempts to understand and describe infinity.

But for Frankl, such tolerance does not imply a lack
of judgment. For there is evil in the world, and his life
bears the scars. The unconscious search for ultimate
meaning can lead to nefarious ends: flagrant nationalism,
obsessive jealousies, ethnic hate, compulsive work. Half a
century since this volume was conceived, I spent an after-
noon with Elly and Viktor speaking not only of Ausch-
witz, but also of Srebrenica: a diabolic and perverted
meaning found by some in sadistic debauchery.

So we are reminded once again that abstract theory
is not an end in itself. It must shape concrete living. From
this small volume, there is a great moral imperative to be
pondered. As we reflect on Frankl's thought, we may take
time to muse on what we personally hold most dear and,
even in the moment of that intimate dialogue, contribute
to the universal force for goodness.

Tolerance, jealousy, benevolence, hate, decency.
What will be ultimate in our lives? As Viktor Frankl
would remind us, the choice is ours.

Swanee Hunt
United States Ambassador
to Austria

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