INVICTUS
(Unconquered)

(Published in the January 2010 edition of the East Bay Psychiatric Newsletter)

How is it possible for a man like Nelson Mandela to be imprisoned in a tiny cell for 27 years, maintain his sanity, eventually be released, become President of his country, and then forgive those who imprisoned him?

How is it possible to be a movie star like Christopher Reeve, ride horses competitively, suddenly become quadriplegic in a jumping accident, and maintain your hope and dignity for many years until you die?

How can Steven Hawkings, arguably the most brilliant physicist alive, maintain his insights and intellect in the face of the devastating impact ALS has had on his physical state for decades?

The answer lies in the emotional strength of these individuals to free their minds to meditate inwardly—to focus on their inner world of truth, beauty, power, and love rather than the external realities that for them have been so bleak.

It may seem impossible to overcome certain obstacles in life and still remain emotionally free, but read the poem "Invictus" below and see how William Ernest Henley felt in 1873 when he lost a foot to TB of the bone. He went on to become a lawyer and live another 30 years to age 53 with only one foot. He wrote “Invictus” from his hospital bed at the time of his amputation:

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."


The inner strength of individuals like Mandela, Reeve, Hawking and William Ernest Henley is what defines an “unconquerable soul.” To become “master of my fate” and “captain of my soul” is the key to overcoming fear, desperation, and loneliness. As long as one’s mental faculties remain in tact, the mind has the capacity to endure. The ability to focus inward is the essential ingredient. While it would be better never to have to call upon such enormous emotional reserves, it is nonetheless reassuring to know that if we were to need access to that strength, that it can become available to us.