![]() Yet it is possible to practice the art of living even in a concentration camp, although suffering is omnipresent. The attempt to develop a sense of humor and to see things in a humorous light is some kind of a trick learned while mastering the art of living.Under their influence he sometimes even forgot his own frightful circumstances. As the inner life of the prisoner tended to become more intense, he also experienced the beauty of art and nature as never before.Whether or not he is actually present, whether or not he is still alive at all, ceases somehow to be of importance. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self.I knew only one thing-which I have learned well by now: Love goes very far beyond the physical person of the beloved.The lack of having these simple desires satisfied led him to seek wish-fulfillment in dreams. ![]() What did the prisoner dream about most frequently? Of bread, cake, cigarettes, and nice warm baths.An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.For days we were unable to wash, even partially, because of frozen water-pipes, and yet the sores and abrasions on hands which were dirty from work in the soil did not suppurate (that is, unless there was frostbite). We had to wear the same shirts for half a year, until they had lost all appearance of being shirts. I would like to mention a few similar surprises on how much we could endure: we were unable to clean our teeth, and yet, in spite of that and a severe vitamin deficiency, we had healthier gums than ever before.Then you will live to see that in the long run-in the long run, I say!-success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it." I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. "Don’t aim at success-the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. ![]()
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