Few people today know the name Peter Buxtun. However, to a special group of illiterate Black sharecroppers in Macon County, Georgia, his name will always be associated with outstanding courage and conscience that speaks up when systemic injustice occurs. For forty years between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted an experiment on 399 black men in the late stages of syphilis. These men, for the most part illiterate sharecroppers from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, were never told what disease they were suffering from or of its consequences. Their value lay only in the autopsies that would be conducted on their corpses after the disease was allowed to rob them of life. This cruel experiment was entitled The Tuskegee Study.

In 1966, Peter Buxtun, waiting to be admitted to Hastings Law School, got a job doing venereal disease interviews at the Public Health Department’s Hunt Street Clinic in San Francisco. He was horrified when he overheard several of his co-workers discussing the Tuskegee Study, and learned they’d been told not to treat the participants. He wrote the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in Atlanta and requested additional information. “In early November 1966, Buxtun sent Dr. William J. Brown, the director of the Division of Venereal Diseases, a letter . . . expressing grave moral concerns about the experiment. He asked whether the purpose of the experiment was to obtain information ‘on the syphilitic damage which these men were being allowed to endure.’ He also inquired if any of the men had been treated properly and whether any had been told the nature of the study. And finally, he asked, ‘are untreated syphilitics still being followed for autopsy?’”

When Dr. Brown received Peter’s letter, he was furious. He invited Peter to come to Atlanta to attend a scientific meeting at the government’s expense. When Peter arrived at the CDC, Dr. Brown escorted him into “an executive conference room with a big mahogany table surrounded by a dozen or so chairs.” Two men were waiting for him. One of them was: “. . . Dr. John Cutler, a health officer with intimate knowledge of the study.”

According to Buxtun, Dr. Cutler began to harangue him the moment they were seated. ‘He was infuriated,’ stated Buxtun. ‘He had obviously read my material, thought of me as some form of a lunatic who needed immediate chastisement and he proceeded to administer it.’ Dr. Cutler then launched an impassioned defense of the experiment, stressing, in particular, how it would benefit physicians who were treating syphilitic blacks.”

James Jones, author of “Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment,”  described what happened next: “Buxtun was neither intimidated nor impressed.” He told the officials they were using blacks as “human substitutes for guinea pigs,” and warned them that the Public Health Service would be discredited if the public learned what they were doing.

Peter resigned from the PHS in 1967, and he wrote Dr. Brown another letter in November 1968. This time he warned him: “The group is 100 percent Negro. . . . This in itself is political dynamite and subject to wild journalistic misinterpretation.”

Dr. Brown showed the letter to Dr. David Sencer, the director of the CDC. Neither official thought they were doing anything wrong, but they decided to convene a “blue-ribbon panel” to evaluate the study. Dr. Gene Stollerman was chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University of Tennessee at the time, and the only member of the blue-ribbon panel who: “. . . did not have previous knowledge of the Tuskegee Study before being asked to review it.” He was . . . “the only panelist who saw the subjects as patients, and thought that they had a right to be treated.”

Everyone at the CDC supported the program and thought it should continue until the last participant was autopsied. Buxtun’s moral indignation was attributed to his youth and “generation.” Peter realized something had to be done, so he contacted a reporter and told her about the study.

She contacted her editor; he assigned another woman to the story. On July 25, 1972, the Washington Star published her article. The American people were outraged when they read about the racist project. Public health officials tried to justify the program because it was done for “science,” but no one believed them. The Tuskegee Study ended that year, forty years after it began. Every survivor received $10,000.

Recently, a group of students at Yale University and the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) were asked to define ‘courage.’ As part of their response, they described acts of courage, including (one who)  “stands up to unjust social practices because of what one thinks right.”  Would you not agree that this definition fits the actions of Peter Buxtun? Are such men of courage and conscience still needed today?

Ongoing systemic injustice by government organizations that includes psychological attacks such as ‘gang-stalking’ and the use of covert remote methods of torture on American citizens is every bit as shocking and abhorrent as the Tuskegee Study. My story and that of many other victims speaks of a systemic injustice that has been practiced for years by covert federal and local agencies. Injustice festers, spreads and weakens all strata of human society in the absence of conscience and courage.

It is our hope that men and women  of exemplary conscience and courage like Peter Buxtun still exist in our government today.

References:
The Radio Liberty Newsletter

One of the powerful lessons I have learned in facing constant psychological assaults (directed energy weapons torture and community policing based gang stalking - see My Story Begins), is the need to cultivate humility. It can help us to calmly endure hardships that would break the mightiest of men. A practical lesson in this regard was furnished by Jesus Christ on the last night of his life on earth.

Jesus knew that his disciples needed to cultivate specific qualities that would help them to work together and endure hardship. To that end, only hours before his death, he focused his energies on teaching them. One such lesson was taught by example when Jesus, although being their Teacher and Master, girded a towel and proceeded to wash the feet of each of his disciples. -John 13:3-5 This menial task was usually reserved for the lowliest servant in Jewish households of the day. However, by performing this humble act, Jesus wanted to stress by example that his disciples must willingly serve others, not “lord it over” people as was common among political leaders.

The Bible account indicates that Jesus washed the feet of all twelve of his disciples in attendance, including Judas Iscariot. Amazingly, Jesus was well aware that Judas was secretly plotting his murder! -John 13:2 Yet, he calmly washed his feet along with the others. We know that Jesus was a man of deep feelings. Can you imagine how being so close to the man who would betray him affected his emotions? How would you feel in this situation? Yet, Jesus calmly performed this humble act, without revealing what he knew to the other disciples, or allowing his emotions to get the better of him.

It is this singular act, washing the feet of a wicked betrayer that reveals to me the depth of humility found in Jesus. Why did he do it? A noble characteristic of humility is that it allows us to focus on the needs of others even as we face extreme hardship. Jesus felt that the lesson in humility he was teaching his beloved disciples, was more important than his personal feelings regarding Judas. With extraordinary humility, he washed the feet of all, including his betrayer, so that his disciples could be taught without distraction. He pushed aside his own feelings and interests to meet the needs of his disciples. He held his disciples in such high esteem, that he considered their needs more important than his own. -Phillipians 2:3,4 Do you see the lesson we can learn from this?

As victims of psychological attacks, we know that our persecutors are hoping that we will resort to extremes of anger or show terror. If you fly into a fit of rage or burst into tears and express hurt or fear, he is getting what he wants. (see Tips on Coping With Bullying). However, like Jesus, we can even be in close quarters with our persecutors and still maintain complete emotional control by cultivating humility.

One of the intended byproducts of psychological warfare is forcing the victim to become so focused on his own misery that he isolates himself from others emotionally. Such thinking makes one mentally unbalanced and prone to rash behavior. However, the beauty of humilty is that it helps us to remain focused on the interests of others in spite of our own adversities. We avoid becoming overwhelmed by our problems. Humbly serving the needs of others is one of the most emotionally healthy activities we can engage in. It is especially beneficial during times of personal crisis, as it works to protect emotional and mental health.

We can be certain that Jesus true disciples never forgot his extraordinary display of restraint and humility. It provided an appealing motivation for their own cultivation of this priceless quality. Can you see how cultivating humility in imitation of Jesus can help you?

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” - Viktor E. Frankl, Neurologist, Author and Holocaust survivor

An Additional Comment

There is another vital lesson that came to mind as I reflected on the example Jesus set in washing the feet of his betrayer, Judas. The truly kindhearted person can display kindness even toward the unappreciative.  Genuine kindness is not hypocritical, or merely a thin veneer of politeness and courtesy that quickly dissipates when others are rude.

I am intensely concerned that the daily barrage of rudeness that confronts me never darkens my heart. Writing this blog is a constant reminder that I must follow the advice I pass on to others! Far more than any physical or psychosomatic  harm my persecutors may cause, I worry about losing my humanity. Losing the ability to feel genuine love for my fellow man is the price I simply cannot pay. Reflecting on and sharing the positive lessons I learn through these writings helps me to hold on to that most precious of possessions—love of neighbor.

“You must love your neighbor as yourself.”—Matthew 22:39

Whether done by ten-year-old children in a schoolyard, or by adults in organized campaigns of psychological attacks, bullying is bullying! I found an article that offered children tips on coping with bullys. However, they can apply just as well to adult victims of directed energy weapons torture and community policing based gang-stalking. The excerpt is posted below. I hope you find it useful!

Help for the Victims

Victims of bullying, particularly the young, face a difficult challenge—that of maintaining balance under pressure. When someone bullies you, he is probably eager to throw you off balance emotionally. He is hoping that you will resort to extremes of anger or show terror. If you fly into a fit of rage or burst into tears and express hurt or fear, the bully is getting what he wants. So he may try to provoke the same reaction again and again.

What can you do? Consider the following suggestions. They are written primarily with the young in mind, but the principles may also apply to adults dealing with bullies.

▪ Keep cool. Don’t give in to rage. The Bible wisely advises: “Let anger alone and leave rage.” (Psalm 37:8) When your temper is out of control, you give the bully power over you, and you are likely to do things you will only regret.—Proverbs 25:28.

▪ Try to put thoughts of revenge out of your mind. Vengeance often backfires. At any rate, revenge is not really satisfying. One girl, who was beaten up by five youths when she was 16 years old, recalls: “I decided in my heart, ‘I will get even with them.’ So I got some help from my friends and took revenge on two of my attackers.” The result? “I was left with an empty feeling,” she says. And her own conduct worsened afterward. Remember the Bible’s wise words: “Return evil for evil to no one.”—Romans 12:17.

▪ When things appear to be getting heated, get away quickly. The Bible says: “Before the quarrel has burst forth, take your leave.” (Proverbs 17:14) In general, try to steer clear of those who tend to bully. Says Proverbs 22:3: “Shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself, but the inexperienced have passed along and must suffer the penalty.”

▪ If bullying persists, you may need to speak up for yourself. Choose a moment when you are calm, look the bully in the eye, and speak in a firm, level voice. Tell him that you don’t like what he is doing—that it is not funny and that it hurts. Do not resort to insults or challenges.—Proverbs 15:1.

▪ Talk to a responsible, caring adult about the bullying. Be specific about the problem, and ask for help in handling it. Do the same in your prayers to God, and this can be a wonderful source of help and comfort.—1 Thessalonians 5:17.

▪ Remember that you have value as a person. The bully might want you to think that you don’t matter, that you deserve to be treated badly. But he is not your judge. God is, and he looks for the good in each of us. It is the bully who becomes less worthwhile by resorting to such conduct.

In perhaps one of the least recent surprising scientific findings to any victim of organized bullying (such community policing based gang stalking), researchers have discovered that bullies brains are wired to feel pleasure when watching others being hurt. This came as a surprise to reseachers. They “expected that the bullies would show no response when they witnessed pain in somebody else—that they experience a sort of emotional coldness . . .” The research showed that they actually derived pleasure from the suffering of others.

As a long-term victim of directed energy weapons torture and community policing based gang-stalking, I can certainly attest to this through personal observation. Persecutors employed as “gang-stalkers” or harassers will often study a victim’s face hoping to see signs of pain or sadness. They often laugh or smirk as they go about the task of inflicting psychological suffering on others. They have learned to replace empathy with a perverse pleasure from the suffering of their victims.

Is it unreasonable to call this transformation in a bullies mind a perversion? Above all, it highlights the wisdom for a victim, of never returning “evil for evil” to anyone. To do so, perverts the natural empathy in the victim’s brain. His mindset becomes the virtual twin of his tormentor when he begins to find pleasure in vindictiveness and retaliation. Responding to evil with “good” is the best response, protecting the brain from developing an unhealthy thirst for voyeuristic pain.

“Return evil for evil to no one. Provide fine things in the sight of all men. If possible, as far as it depends upon YOU, be peaceable with all men.” - Roman 12: 17-18

Additional References:
Brain Scan Shows Bullies Enjoy Others Pain - Washington Post

One of the most amazing displays of physical control was furnished by Charles Blondin in the latter half of the 19th century. He crossed Niagara Falls a number of times, first in 1859, on a tightrope 1,100 feet long and 160 feet above the water. After that, he did so each time with a different display of his ability: blindfolded, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, and carrying a man on his back. To maintain such balance required extremely great physical self-control. Due to the achievements his superb physical control made possible, Blondin was rewarded with both fame and fortune.

As any victim of government sponsored directed energy weapons torture and psychological attacks (including community policing based “gang-stalking”) is well aware, one of the greatest challenges we face is maintaining self control. The daily barrage of humiliating actions we undergo are designed to provoke us, luring us into self-destructive behavior. However, like a skilled tightrope walker, we must cultivate self-control. Indeed, our very survival is dependent on staying in firm control of our emotions and actions. That can be a challenge, as the desire to retaliate in some way may at times seem overpowering. To counter such ill-advised thinking, we may need to adjust our attitude and view self-control as the superior response, a facet of our true inner strength.

Sadly, popular entertainment glorifies the “hero” that answers all provocation and ill treatment with an outburst of violence, vanquishing his enemies as the admiring audience cheers him on. Unlike movie violence, real-life retaliation often carries severe, life changing penalties and losses. The person who keeps himself under control is better equipped to make decisions that are in his best long-term interests. Those who lose control of their emotions, giving in to anger, often live to regret the outcome of their actions.

Do you see self-control as your strength? Not merely control of your actions. This includes controlling your emotions as well. Unless we highly value the ability to rein in our emotions, we will develop grudges and bitterness which lead to outbursts of anger. We will also damage our health, and healthy relationships, compounding the effects of the psychological attacks we undergo.

“By over-responding to conflict and not trusting others, hostile people might also be at risk because they don’t benefit physiologically from their social relationships; People most prone to anger were almost three times more likely to have a heart attack than those with low anger in a recent study of 12,986 participants…” - Angry Thoughts, At-Risk Hearts, Monitor on Psychology (American Psychological Association)

In view of the foregoing, it is vital that we divest ourselves of the perverse admiration of “good guy” violence and retaliation often seen in movies, and see the tremendous benefits that developing self-control can bring us. Such self-control is a measure of true masculinity and emotional maturity, that will contribute to greater success in all facets of life.

For a skilled tightrope walker like Charles Blondin, a loss of self-control while performing could have meant great physical harm or even death. Is it really any different for us as victims of psychological warfare? When we highly value and cultivate self-control, we protect our health, and may well preserve our lives. Therefore, view self-control as your strength!

“He that is slow to anger is better than a mighty man - Proverbs 16:32

One of the core psychological objectives of covert, government sponsored, “gang-stalking” and directed energy weapons torture is to attack and destroy the self-worth of targeted individuals. In essence, the constant barrage of humiliation, torture, and ill treatment we undergo carries an insidious yet powerful message: “You are worthless . . . You deserve to be treated with contempt . . . You have no value.” These subtle messages, over time, subvert healthy self-esteem, speeding up the likelihood of the victim resorting to self destructive behavior or even suicide. To remain emotionally healthy, the victim must disconnect his self-worth from the opinions of his persecutors. We must not measure ourselves by the views of a group that does not have our best interests at heart. For many, however, that can be a challenge.

If the highest authority in your life is a human government, where do you turn for help when that authority becomes the source of cruel injustice, victimizing you or your loved ones? Truthfully, those who cannot see beyond human authority have nowhere to turn! It is, no doubt, a crushing burden for them to know that they have no alternative, no higher power that can be trusted. However, for those who have a firm belief in a loving and concerned Creator, it is quite different. We can appeal to and derive comfort from a higher, uncorruptable authority. That authority, our God, becomes our salvation when all human authority fails us.

One of my favorite sources of comfort is a Bible passage that quotes directly from the Son of God, Jesus Christ, regarding how God feels about us personally. “Do not two sparrows sell for a coin of small value? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground without YOUR Father’s [knowledge]. But the very hairs of YOUR head are all numbered. Therefore have no fear: YOU are worth more than many sparrows.” -Matthew 10:29-31

Think of what that means. In Jesus’ day the sparrow was the cheapest of the birds sold as food to the poor. If God places such value on a single sparrow, of how much greater worth is a human! As Jesus explained, he knows every detail about us. Why, the very hairs of our head are numbered! Knowing that God values us so highly as individuals (in spite of our imperfection and sinful nature) is a source of great strength and courage to me. It provides a solid basis for soundly rejecting the opinions of my persecutors, and protecting my mental health in the process.

Viktor E. Frankl, a neurologist and Holacaust survivor who studied the impact of long term injustice on concentration camp inmates and survivors, noted that the knowledge that there “is a meaning in one’s life” is critical to survival. Knowing that God values me personally gives my life meaning. It is the key to my success in surviving the decade of psychological warfare I have endured. Developing a keen awareness of how our Creator values us personally can helps us to transcend any suffering we may undergo.

Anger, frustration and bitterness are often the byproducts of being a long-term victim of Federal directed energy weapons testing / torture and psychological attacks including “gang-stalking.” Interestingly, such long term injustices can prove deadly for both the victim and the attacker! Recent studies are showing that the more mean-spirited and hostile a person is, the greater the likelihood of impaired lung function and damage. In fact, the cumulative effect of hostility on lung function is often greater than that suffered by smokers!

“In a study of more than 4,600 18- to 30-year-olds, Jackson’s team (Smith College, Northampton, Mass) found the more hostile, frustrated and mean-spirited the personality, the lower the pulmonary (lung) function. In other words, “it appears harboring hostility hurts,” according to the study, published in the journal Health Psychology…The more rapid the decline in lung function, the sooner people die…The effects of hostility, like smoking, accumulate over the years, gradually gnawing away at health.” The full report on this study is found on the Montreal Gazette (newspaper) website.

What lesson can we take from this? Mean-spirited, hostile people damage their own health and age faster than the kindhearted and forgiving. Isn’t that a good reason to avoid mean-spirited attacks on others? And, if we are the victims of such attacks, maintaining better health is a powerful incentive to let go of resentment and bitterness.

It may be purely anecdotal, but in observing the individuals employed in psychological attacks against me, I have long sensed the connection between mental disposition and health. I have seen enough of these individuals to know that over time, abusing others ravages ones’ own health. My persecutors often look quite a bit older and more “worn” than what is typical for their age. Now, science has revealed why!

Finally, for those who are victims of psychological attacks and directed energy weapons, learn to let go of anger and the desire to retaliate. You will feel (and look) much better if you do!

It is clear that the efforts of the Federal Agencies involved in testing directed energy weapons on me (along with community policing support through “gang-stalking”) are becoming desperate. They have gone to extraordinary efforts to infiltrate and poison every facet of my life, including my place of worship. They have greatly intensified the use of through-the-wall, remote acoustic and microwave based weapons in the late evenings while I sleep. These weapons may well be causing internal trauma along with the daily concussion-like symptoms I undergo. It is likely that these unrelenting attacks will finally compromise my health and cause my death.

I have no fear of my persecutors. Indeed, for over eleven years I have not run, hid or cowered in the face of unrelenting cruelty. I am not ashamed. To their utter disbelief, I have remained calm, resolute and uncompromised. This ongoing injustice may well cost my life. I consider death preferable to being seduced by evil. My antagonists have tortured, taunted, isolated, pressured, humiliated, and slandered me in an effort to provoke bitterness and retaliation. I have not, and will not step outside of the law, nor take the law into my own hands to obtain relief. In spite of over ten years of suffering they cannot charge me with a single act of violence either in word or deed. All violence committed has been by their own hands. Indeed, they are drenched in violence. For this, I am not ashamed.

Above all else, I deeply appreciate the Bible-based education that my parents saw fit to instill in me from youth. I have never forsaken it, and it has, and will continue to serve me admirably through this ordeal. For this, I am not ashamed. Perhaps most importantly, I know that God himself hears the cries of his servants. Ultimately, he will administer justice. With this comfort and assurance, I will never have reason to be ashamed.

“Return evil for evil to no one. Provide fine things in the sight of all men. If possible, as far as it depends upon YOU, be peaceable with all men. Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but yield place to the wrath; for it is written: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says Jehovah.”—Romans 12:17-19

I witnessed something today that provides a glimpse into the often sad human drama concealed behind the use of community policing groups for “gang-stalking” in support of Federal covert testing of directed energy weapons on American citizens.

As is often my custom, I was at a local car wash on Central Avenue (Phoenix, AZ) this morning, washing my vehicle. The Federal agencies that provide covert surveillance always insure that local community policing group members participate in surveillance and psychological harassment when I am at this location. As usual, two of the vehicles near me were being washed by such individuals. I found one of them particularly interesting. She was of Hispanic origin, perhaps in her late-30’s. As she washed her car, I noticed welts and bruises on her thighs barely concealed by her shorts. Because of her light skin, these dark bruises were particularly noticeable. I then took careful note of her face. Her complexion was a map of small healed bruises and scrapes. While I am no expert in such matters, what I saw strongly suggested evidence of domestic violence.

That got me thinking. What if her abusive husband or boyfriend was also a member of the community policing groups participating in “gang-stalking?” Would the covert agencies sponsoring these groups shield him from any criminal prosecution because of his role in covert community policing activities? The military and law enforcement are both notoriously sexist domains where scandals of sexual abuse and harassment are all too common. I can easily imagine this woman being powerless and unprotected in such a “macho” culture.

This brought back to mind a “family” that lived in the apartment below mine in Albuquerque, New Mexico two years ago. They were used in the pattern of “gang stalking” and psychological attacks for the time I lived in that development. What a sad collection of individuals! The children in the “family” ranging in age from about seven to fifteen years old, would routinely be loitering on the complex grounds when most children were in school. They were often outdoors as late as 11 or 12 at night without any meaningful parental supervision. Clearly, their “parents” had little genuine interest in them. The “mother” in this group had a barely disguised alcohol problem that was visibly eating away her health. One night, after the scent of marijuana wafted into my bedroom window at about 2:00 in the morning, I came downstairs to discover one of the children, about 13 years old smoking “pot” with an adult I had not seen before. In truth, nothing they have done to me is nearly as bad as what they are doing to the minds of these impressionable youths. That is truly repugnant.

The seeming social instability of so many of the individuals used in these abusive programs never ceases to amaze me. What are their stories? I feel sorry for many of them. In some ways, they too are victims. I am convinced that the same system that is targeting me for harassment has little respect for the common folks used as little more than human “body armor” in their covert routines.

“Man has dominated man to his injury.”-Ecclesiates 8:9

Perhaps the most practical examples of coping with the oppression that comes with government sponsored directed-energy-weapons torture and community policing support through gang stalking, can be found in the Nazi concentration camps and Stasi prisons. I want to highlight the marked contrast in the lives of two victims. The first, Josef Kneifel, a political prisoner of the Stasi secret police in West Germany. The second, Viktor E. Frankl, a concentration camp inmate under the Nazi regime. The contrast in their responses to oppression and the resultant outcome gives insight into how we can best respond to long-term injustice.

Let’s first consider Josef Kneifel. Josef was arrested by the Stasi (the East German secret police) for his role in efforts to destabilize the oppressive regime in East Germany. As a particularly hated political prisoner, he was subject to torture, isolation, and a constant barrage of dehumanizing treatment. The Stasi also arrested his wife although she knew nothing of his crimes and tried to convince her to divorce him. She was offered immediate release if she did so, but she refused.

Kneifel suffered emotionally and physically while incarcerated. The book Stasi, by John O Koehler, describes Kneifel’s response during his imprisonment. Full of pent up anger against the regime, he looked for every opportunity to vent his feelings. He would think of ways to “mock the regime and prison officials. Using the jagged end of a broken plastic spoon, he cut veins in his legs and collected blood in a plastic cup.” With his own blood, he painted caricatures on the whitewashed cell walls, ridiculing Stasi warders and communism. He would draw blood and pour it into the lock of his cell door. When a warder opened his cell door, Kneifel sprayed him with blood he had collected in a metal bowl. His unrelenting anger contributed to the rapid decline of his health. When Kneifel was released, he was prescribed a regimen of kidney dialysis. His health ruined, he never recovered.

A profound contrast is found in the life of Viktor E. Frankl. Of Jewish heritage, he served as a psychiatrist in government clinics and hospitals in Vienna during the 1920-30’s. However, in 1942, along with his wife and parents, he was sentenced to hard labor in Theresienstadt concentration camp. “Though assigned to ordinary labor details until the last few weeks of the war, Frankl tried to cure fellow prisoners from despondency and prevent suicide.” Since it was forbidden to actively intervene in a suicide attempt, such activity had to be both preventative and clandestine. He secretly worked with inmates after long days spent in manual labor. His wife and parents died in the concentration camps. Frankl acknowledges that his spirituality and selfless efforts to help others protected his own mental health and allowed him to quickly adjust when released from the camp at the end of the war. In the post war years Frankl published more than 32 books including the highly regarded Man’s Search for Meaning. He served as a professor of neurology and psychiatry.

Here are two individuals who suffered great injustices at the hands of their governments. One gives in to bitterness and self-destructive anger, destroying his own health in the process. The other uses his limited resources to help fellow inmates at the risk of his own life. Both suffered great loss. Who made the better choice in responding to injustice? How did the choice each made affect their long-term mental and physical health?

These two examples provide a powerful encouragement for modern day victims of long-term injustice: Choose your attitude and response wisely! “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” - Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl