No. of Recommendations: 3
Along the same line: Ever read Viktor Frankl? Nazi camp survivor and psychiatrist, founder of his own school of psychotherapy? From own experience he found that the ones for whom life had meaning and purpose were the ones that could - mentally - survive the concentration camp. The ones on the other hand who did not find meaning and purpose in their lifes gave themselves up. He concluded that there is a deep-seated NEED in people to see "Meaning and Purpose" in their life, and that mental health issues often are caused by the lack of it.Somewhat tangential, Primo Levi was an Auschwitz survivor and wrote several books about his experiences. One of them is called "Moments of Reprieve" which is a selection of times when he was able to find meaningful, positive experiences in the concentration camp.
I have to wonder the ability to find meaningful events in those conditions helped him survive. All his books are great, by the way.
amazon.com - Moments Reprieve Auschwitz Classic Century
