The March winds were calming. Colourful spring blossoms spread their fragrance through the air – eve into the shower room, where I washed the sweat and soreness from my body after an energy filled workout.

I dressed quickly and skipped down the rear steps of Harmon Gym to watch the sky over Edwards field turn orange with the sun’s final glow. The cool air refreshed me. Relaxed and at peace with the world, I ambled downtown to get my cheeseburger on the way to the U.C theatre. Tonight they are showing The Great Escape, about a daring escape of British and American prisoners of war.

When the film was over I jogged up University Avenue towards the campus, heading left to Shattuck, and arrived at the station soon after Socrates come on duty. It was a busy night, so I helped him until just after midnight. We went into the office and washed our hands, after which he surprised me by stating to fix a Chinese dinner – and begin a new phase of teaching.

It started when I told him about the movie.

“Sounds like an exciting film,” he said, unpacking the bag of fresh vegetables he had bought in, “and an appropriate one, too.”

“Oh? How’s that?”

“You, too, Dan, need to escape. You’re a prisoner of your own illusions – about yourself and about the world. To cut yourself free, you’re going to need more courage and strength than any hero.”

I felt so good that night I just couldn’t take Soc seriously at all. “I don’t feel like I
am in a prison. – except when you have me strapped in the chair.”

He began washing his vegetables. Over the sound of running water, he commented, “You don’t see your prison because its bars are invisible. Part of my task is to point out your predicament and I hope it is the most disillusioning experience of your life.”

“Well thanks a lot, friend.” I said, surprised at his ill wishes.

“I don’t think you understand.” He pointed a turnip to me, and then sliced it in the bowl. “Disillusion is the greatest gift I can give you. But, because of your fondness for illusion, you consider the term negative. You commiserate with a friend by saying, “oh, what a disillusioning experience that must have been,” when you ought to be celebrating with it. The word dis-illusion is literally a “freeing from illusion.” But you cling to your illusions.”

“Facts,” I challenge him.

“Facts,” he said, tossing aside the tofu he’d been dicing. “Dan, you are suffering: you do not fundamentally enjoy your life. Your entertainments, your playful affairs, and even your gymnastics are temporary ways of distracting you from your underlying sense of fear.”

“Wait a minute Soc.” I was irritated. “Are you saying that gymnastics and sex and movies are bad?”

“Of course not. But for you they’re your addictions, not enjoyments. You use them to distract you from your chaotic inner life – the parade of regrets, anxieties, and fantasies, you call your mind.”

“Wait, Socrates. Those aren’t facts.”

“Yes, they are, and they are entirely veritable, even though you don’t see it yet. In your habitual quest for achievement and entertainment, you avoid the fundamental source of your suffering.” He paused. “That was not something you really wanted to hear, was it?”

“Not particularly. And I don’t think it applies to me. You have anything a little more upbeat?” I said.

“Sure,” he said, picking up his vegetables and resuming his chopping. “The truth is that life is going wonderfully for you and the you’re not really suffering at all. You don’t need me and you’re already a warrior. How does that sound?”

“Better!” I laughed. But I knew it wasn’t true. “The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle; don’t you think?”

Without taking his eyes of the vegetables, Socrates said “you ‘in between is hell, from my perspective.”

Defensively I ask, “is it just me who’s a moron, or do you specialise in working with the spiritually handicapped?”

“You might say that,” He smiled, pouring sesame oil on a wok and setting it on the hot plate to warm. “But nearly all of humanity shares your predicament.”

“And what predicament is that?”

“I thought I had already explained that?” he said patiently. “If you don’t get what you want, you suffer. If you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold onto it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change, free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is a law, no amount of pretending will alter that reality.

“Socrates, you can really be depressing, you know that? I don’t think I’m even hungry anymore.” “If life is nothing but suffering. Then why bother at all?”

“Life is not suffering, it is just you will suffer it rather than enjoy it, until you let go of your mind’s attachments and just go for the ride freely, no matter what happens.”

Socrates dropped the vegetables and tofu into the sizzling wok, stirring. A delicious aroma filled the office as he dove the crisp vegetables into plates and set them on his old desk, which serves as our dining table.

“I think I just got my appetite back.” I said.

Socrates laughed, then ate in silence, talking small morsels with his chopsticks. I gobbled the food in about thirty seconds; I guess I was really hungry. While Socrates finished his meal, I asked him, “So what are the positive uses of the mind?”

He looked up from his plate. “There aren’t any.” With that, he calmly returned to his meal.

“Aren’t any! Socrates, that’s really crazy. What about the creations of the mind? The book, libraries, arts? What about all the advances of our society that were generated by brilliant minds?”

“Socrates, stop making these irresponsible statements and explain yourself!”

Sebastian Junger is an ex-military man. He served in many posts overseas including Afghanistan. He has a surrogate uncle who was an American Indian and exposed Junger to their culture from an early age. Both were a huge influence in the stories and explanations of what it means to be a part of a tribe.

When Europeans invaded the States war broke out with the American Indians. During this time of war, some Europeans rejected their white heritage and joined the American Indians tribe, their way of life and never returned. There were social bonding not seen before in white culture. Never did an American Indian join the Europeans. Junger wondered why?

There was a communal nature of an Indian tribe held to a higher appeal than the material benefits of the Western civilisation. People were prepared to swap physical comfort for social comfort. Indian clothing was more comfortable, Indian religion was less harsh, India society was essentially classless and egalitarian.

Because of these basic freedoms, tribal members tended to be exceedingly loyal. Cowardice was punished by death, as was murder within the tribe or any kind of communication with the enemy. It was an ethos that promoted loyalty and courage over all other virtues and considered the preservation of the tribe an almost sacred task.

They disapproved of selfishness or hording. As you can imagine if there is only a small number of food supplies and someone hoards it, then they threaten the survival of the tribe. They would have occasionally endured episodes of hunger and hardship. The tribe would have raised their children and had involved childcare. They would have done almost everything in the company of others. They would have never been alone.

We on the other hand western society is alone from a very early age. We are put in a cot away from our parents, sometimes even in a separate room as an infant. We strive for more financial security over social security and not understanding that with every pleasure comes a pain. Financial independence as Junger states can lead to isolation, and isolation can put people greatly increased risk of depression. Maybe there are high degrees of fantasies in the mindset of the wealthier.

Every market has its ebbs and flows, bull and bear markets. Our last bear market was in 2008-2009. We have not had a downturn in the market for seven years. We are well overdue. Winter is coming and when it does, and it will happen, don’t panic. Don’t go with the masses and focus on the short term losses. Every bear market turns around, the corrections are either big or small, it happens in 50 days or maybe 200 days but it will turn and rise again. Summer always prevails over winter. The book is to prepare you to be unshakable during this period.

A section of the book is particularly geared to a US audience, specifically speaking about who to invest your money with and where to invest your money. In a nutshell, don’t invest with stock brokers, they will send you broke. Invest your monies in a low transaction-cost index funds. They have a slow and steady approach to building wealth and the index funds will cost you less in fees.

It’s not what you earn, but what you keep that counts. It’s not what your gross earnings are per annum but what your net earnings are that matter. Let’s say you generate 10 million in gross revenue and your overheads are 9.99 million you don’t have much left to invest let alone live off. Create goals around your gross earns and net profit. Let me add to that it isn’t what you keep but what you do with what you keep that counts.

The world is uncertain; you don’t know what is going to happen around the corner. Your role is to find certainty in an uncertain world no matter what cards you are dealt. This very important to Tony which is birthed from the void of having very little certainty as a child growing up.

Can you imagine that everything you have ever owned is taken away from you? Your clothes removed, every hair on your body is shaved and your name is stripped to just a number? Nothing personal remains beyond the inner sanction of your mind. The guards may have take away all Frankl’s possessions but they could never take away his ability to think. The same goes for you and your life. Your outer world need not dictate your inner world.

Even in the challenging of circumstances and at the darkest hour, like Frankl and many others in the concentration camps, there are still strategies that will help you. Frankl’s strategy was to shave (his beard), stand smartly and walk upright. This gave the impression that he was fit. Those who were fit were asked to work. Those who were not, were sent to the gas chambers. Just goes to show, no matter what you are going through, there is a plan that will help you. You just have to think it through and then take action upon it.

Inside the concentration camp, willpower was especially important. A piece of bread in your pocket may need to last all day. You may take a crumb from it only to hold out to eat the rest in the afternoon. That’s inner strength right there.

Apathy or the blunting of emotions were the symptoms arising that lead to insensitivity to the daily or hourly beatings. A strategy necessary to create a layer of protection from the harsh conditions.

Even while living in a concentration camp, it is important to master the art of living or to “find freedom from suffering in any circumstance” as Schopenhauer stated. As there was no way of physical freedom it was to be found in different forms. This was done through the inner life of the prisoner, to find refuge from the emptiness, desolation and spiritual poverty of existence. Strategies included: thinking of the past, remembering the events with such detail could move one to tears or like one day when a man runs inside to the sleeping quarters and yells at everyone “come, come quickly…….there is the most beautiful sunset.” Just goes to show; we can all find joy and appreciation in the small moments.

In spite of the enforced physical and mental primitiveness, you can deepen your spiritual life, create an inner life of richness and spiritual freedom. Frankl had the freedom to think about his wife, who he didn’t know was dead at the time. They had conversations, she gave him frank and encouraging looks while he worked hard in the snow digging trenches. This happens in traumatic experiences where fantasies are created in the mind to counterbalance the nightmares of reality.

He talked about love and the salvation of man is through love and in love. Love is the ultimate and the highest goal which a man can aspire.

Spinoza is quoted as saying “Emotions, which is suffering, ceases to be suffering when we make a clear and precise picture of it.” Find the benefits and meaning in the experience.

This story left an impression on me and I wanted to share it with you verbatim; It is Victor Frankl talking to a patient of his in the hospital at the Concentration Camp.