You should find out who Edith Eger is before reading the book. Philip Zimbardo, psychologist, and professor emeritus at Stanford University make it easier for us with a brief introduction. Edith Eger is Hungarian by birth and was imprisoned by the Nazis in the concentration camp in Auschwitz. She is ninety years old now and helps others who heal. After over sixty years of being liberated by the Allied powers, she draws upon her life and her work to show us what it takes to break out the prison created in our minds. Unless we dismantle this prison brick by brick, we are never free.
Using her life, Edith talks about two things - victimization and victimhood. We may be able to find many instances of victimization in our life. Sometimes, we are at the receiving end while we are the perpetrators in the rest of the cases. Victimhood is the state we build in our mind. We might not be able to prevent being a victim, but we have the choice of not remaining as one. She explains we can make our minds to breaks the chains formed by victimhood. Edith says that no one can take away what you have put inside your mind. To achieve this objective, you have to assertive instead of being aggressive or passive.
Our past shapes our present. We behave a certain way because what happened in the past has influenced us. Not only the past but the present and the environment also influences our reactions. Hence it is not possible to give a solution to anyone's problem without understanding their background or their current surroundings. Edith cites a lot of examples where she solves problems not by helping the subject but helping the entire family. It is, in fact, a good point as we blame ourselves for being the way we are. Sometimes, we have to look for the stimuli and change it.
Ultimately, we have to survive in this world. Edith explains what survival is and what does it take to survive. Survival is about asking "What now?" and not about always asking "Why?". There are no buts in survival. It is black or white and no in-betweens. Survival is about interdependence. Edith gives us the formula of four questions to resolve our existential dilemma. What do you want? Who wants it? What are you going to do about it? When?
The choices we make decide the course of our life. Can we lead a happy life by choosing wisely? We don't have to think twice to answer yes. The story of Edith is an inspiration to all of us who have created a prison in our mind. Look at Edith. She was imprisoned in dehumanizing circumstances inside a concentration camp. When freed, she built a prison in her mind. Over the years, she not only broke the shackles but also help others achieve their freedom. For all of us who are struggling with pain and guilt of varying degrees, it is a good read. This book is her only book. So it is original and not diluted commercially.
Using her life, Edith talks about two things - victimization and victimhood. We may be able to find many instances of victimization in our life. Sometimes, we are at the receiving end while we are the perpetrators in the rest of the cases. Victimhood is the state we build in our mind. We might not be able to prevent being a victim, but we have the choice of not remaining as one. She explains we can make our minds to breaks the chains formed by victimhood. Edith says that no one can take away what you have put inside your mind. To achieve this objective, you have to assertive instead of being aggressive or passive.
Our past shapes our present. We behave a certain way because what happened in the past has influenced us. Not only the past but the present and the environment also influences our reactions. Hence it is not possible to give a solution to anyone's problem without understanding their background or their current surroundings. Edith cites a lot of examples where she solves problems not by helping the subject but helping the entire family. It is, in fact, a good point as we blame ourselves for being the way we are. Sometimes, we have to look for the stimuli and change it.
Ultimately, we have to survive in this world. Edith explains what survival is and what does it take to survive. Survival is about asking "What now?" and not about always asking "Why?". There are no buts in survival. It is black or white and no in-betweens. Survival is about interdependence. Edith gives us the formula of four questions to resolve our existential dilemma. What do you want? Who wants it? What are you going to do about it? When?
The choices we make decide the course of our life. Can we lead a happy life by choosing wisely? We don't have to think twice to answer yes. The story of Edith is an inspiration to all of us who have created a prison in our mind. Look at Edith. She was imprisoned in dehumanizing circumstances inside a concentration camp. When freed, she built a prison in her mind. Over the years, she not only broke the shackles but also help others achieve their freedom. For all of us who are struggling with pain and guilt of varying degrees, it is a good read. This book is her only book. So it is original and not diluted commercially.
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