From the author: About human resources and the oldest method of healing This applies not only to prison, but also to any other extreme situation from which no one is immune: a natural disaster, a war zone, a catastrophe. Although we are sure that these troubles will not affect our generation, those people who have already been affected were just as sure of this. One of my acquaintances spent many years “in places not so distant.” I quote his thoughts in my own words: When I used to hear stories about how meager a prisoner’s rations were, I was always amazed that people were generally able to survive and maintain vitality with very limited nutrition. However, the experience of other people shows that many not only survive, but also actively work. And at the same time, they get sick less than in the wild. A certain contradiction about this fact has stuck in my head ever since. How can this even be? When I got there, it really turned out that the food was quite meager. Prisoners obviously do not receive all the standards of calories and nutrients that we study in medical universities. And what they receive in prison food is clearly not enough to maintain the vital functions of the body, from the point of view of modern science. But, as you can see, having spent a lot of time there, I am alive, vigorous and quite healthy. According to my theory, the body is undergoing a serious restructuring, finding yourself in conditions of limited nutrition. At first, you feel a lack of nutrition and a generally depressed state, for many reasons. (In psychology and the most ancient spiritual practices, food restriction is also used for spiritual improvement) But then, having gone through a crisis of renewal, the body turns on certain hidden reserves and begins to use the meager substances that are supplied much more efficiently. And a “second wind” opens. And then, in a new state, a significantly smaller amount of food is enough for you to maintain normal life functions. During periods of crisis and perestroika, it can sometimes be very difficult; despondency and despair can take over a person. It’s really hard, some people break like matches in the cold. What helps is not the belief that liberation will come soon or some unexpected salvation. The hope for a miraculous deliverance from difficult circumstances only gets in the way. It helps to believe that other people have already walked this path before and to believe that the human body is capable of restructuring itself. I remember stories from different spheres of life: narratives of prisoners, lives of ascetics, memories of political prisoners and stories from the lives of monks. All these people lived for a long time under conditions of voluntary and forced restrictions. At the same time, oddly enough, these people worked hard physically and felt a much greater fullness of life than many of those who live in relative prosperity. Source of the article on my LiveJournal blog