[xanadu00]

My brain fog is really bad today (along with all my other symptoms), so this is more difficult than usual. But I'm tired of sitting around in the dark by myself doing nothing, so I have to post.

Here are some survival stories. The details are gruesome, but the overall message in each case is one of hope. These stories show us just how much we are capable of enduring and still bouncing back.

1. Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl spent two-and-a-half years in concentration camps and managed to survive by the skin of his teeth. His family members were not as fortunate. After his liberation, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential psychiatrists in the world. He is the author of the book Man's Search for Meaning, which is the best book on suffering I've ever read.

http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Me...8839710&sr=8-1

2. James Stockdale

James Stockdale was a POW in Vietnam for seven-and-a-half years, including four years in solitary confinement. He was subjected to shockingly brutal treatment. After this incredible ordeal, he somehow managed to publish several books and become Ross Perot's vice presidential candidate in 1992.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stockdale

3. Louis Zamperini

At the beginning of the 1940s, Louis Zamperini was poised to win an Olympic gold medal and become the first person to ever break the 4-minute mile. Instead of going to the 1940 Olympics, which were canceled, he was later drafted into WWII. In early 1943, his plane was shot down over the Pacific Ocean and he and a fellow soldier spent 47 days on a life raft with no provisions. After drifting over 1000 miles, he was captured by the Japanese and spent the next 2 years under horrific conditions in Japanese POW camps. After the war, he eventually managed to forgive his tormentors and go on to live a long and fulfilling life. His tale is the subject of Laura Hillenbrand's book Unbroken:

http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World...8840355&sr=8-1

We in this forum are undergoing horrible suffering of a different kind--but it is terrible nonetheless. But our suffering will not last forever, and while some of us may not recover 100%, the vast majority of us will recover much of what we have lost. Even if you have lost your career (as is looking more and more likely in my case), there is always hope for you to rebuild your life after your injury. There is no telling who you might meet, what opportunities might greet you, or what wonderful experiences you may yet have. You might grow in wonderful and unexpected ways. You may discover a hidden talent or a new interest.

Do not lose hope that you can rebuild your life and find meaning and contentment again. We are in a dark time, but like those people I mentioned above, we have the power to rise above our circumstances and come out on the other end of our ordeals as better people.

Pete