The Blinding Absence Of Light (10)

is like the prison it describes,
not a place for the weak of constitution,

it being a narrative about life as prisoner
in a Moroccan prison where the indifference
of the guards is a mercy, the active attention
of the guards is a test of the prisoners will to live.

But every so often an uplifting quote comes up,
where why the prisoners were so stubborn
as to want to live is made clearer...

Chapter 31, page 148

'Having to put up with someone like Achar [a persistently needy and annoying fellow prisoner] was exhausting. His interruption had disturbed my meditation exercise; the angels were not answering my call anymore, I no longer felt their presence. Over time, mental and physical wear and tear had taken their toll: all these trails had seriously impaired my ability to concentrate. I was having more and more trouble reaching my spiritual world. It was not that I lacked the will . . . I was worn out. Even today, I suffer from the after effects of that ordeal. It's hard for me read and write. I cannot concentrate more that a few minutes at a time.'.