2 Responses

1. The Selfish Gene

   Although already a Biochemistry graduate when I first read Dawkins book it took my breath away with its simple but utterly compelling thesis.  It totally changed the way I looked at the World.

2. Man’s Search For Meaning – Victor Frankl

   I came across this book when browsing through the Library Stacks at Swansea University in the early 1970s. Having started reading the first few pages, I then sat and read the rest of the book that afternoon.

   It is an account of a young man’s experience of a being in a concentration camp, and how he survived…..and why others did not. The ‘fickle finger of fate’ determined the survival of many inmates, but just as powerful is the mindset of the individual in coping with the environment in which they find themselves.

   One could be trite and say this is all about "Positive Mental Attitude" but it is much more than that. Frankl went on to found a school of Psychotherapy, using the lessons learned from his experiences.

   What did I get from the account? An appreciation that I am in control of how I feel about others and about circumstances; I choose my responses to the ‘outer world’ as well as to my own self and health.

   It has been a blessing when navigating difficult times.

   If you are tempted to read this book, the first half narrative is the part to focus on: the second half deals with the psychotherapy aspect and is hard-going.