Imran Qurashi's Silent Embers: A Review

A must-read book written by writer Imran Qurashi, who is currently pursuing a degree in English at FATA University, studying in the 8th semester. "Silent Embers" describes the psychology of suffering, which the author derived from Victor Frankl’s "Man's Search for Meaning". He adapted Frankl’s psychology of the jail to the psychology of suffering and then developed his own approach. The most beautiful and worthy-to-read aspect of the book is the references provided from various schools of psychology. The story revolves around a young psychology student whose mother committed suicide while he was away. He refuses to accept her suicide as a mere act, terming suicide as psychological murder, and decides to delve into the matter to uncover what drove his mother to such an unthinkable act. He believes that the closest thing to oneself is "self," and one would not harm oneself unless faced with something worse than death in life. Throughout his investigation, he encounters Buddhist philosophy of life, "Dukkha Sukkha," which claims that life is all about suffering and that we must learn to live with it. Additionally, he encounters the psychology behind human suicide, the philosophy of "MAN IS NOTHINGBUTNESS," which posits that man is merely a product of societal, biological, and cultural factors, devoid of personal freedom. Succumbing to this philosophy leads individuals to commit suicide. For example, when his mother was committing suicide, she said, "I am left with only one personal freedom, and no one can take this away from me—the inner freedom of my soul. I will not let anyone take this freedom away from me." These lines indicate that when a person is affected by this "MAN IS NOTHINGBUTNESS" poison, they may resort to suicide. In the story, Iftenan strives to reduce the suicide rate to zero and begins researching ways to help individuals cope with their problems. He meets many patients who have attempted suicide and were undergoing psychotherapy, applying psychodrama to understand their reasons for suicide and whether they would consider suicide again. Through this, he discovers that death is worse than anything else. Quotes from the book include, "once you encounter death, you will never want to see it again. Those who have had a close encounter with death find that death is worse than suffering." The novel is rich with references to concentration camps, emphasizing how even after enduring immense suffering, the prisoners remained alive because they found meaning in their lives. "They had meaning in their lives, which kept them alive," the author emphasizes. He narrates a story from the concentration camps where a prisoner dreamt of being released on a specific date, and upon not being released, he was found dead the next morning, emphasizing that without meaning in life, death prevails. In conclusion, the story emphasizes the importance of finding meaning in life. If there is meaning in life, no one will resort to suicide. As long as we have a reason to live, we will continue living. The moment we lose hope, we lose life. Regardless of our strength, for example, Iftenan's helplessness in the face of his mother's suicide led him to attempt suicide, highlighting that kind words alone remain hollow when the speaker themselves experiences or faces suffering.