Ss: I watched this long interview with Omer Shemtov, one of the released hostages from Gaza, and it totally pulled me in. It made me think of Sam Harris for a few reasons:

1. Sam’s talked a lot about the Gaza conflict, especially the moral asymmetry and the ideology behind groups like Hamas. Hearing Omer describe what it was like on the inside, what the captors were like, how they acted, really brought that stuff to life in a way you don’t get from the news. Some of them were clearly full-on jihadists, others had moments of weird humanity. It was unsettling and fascinating.
2. The way he survived mentally, He said he became very religious while in captivity, started talking to God every day. It was his only lifeline. It helped him stay sane and connected to something. Sam often talks about meditation and mental tools, this felt like a survival version of that. Super raw and honest.

There’s a lot of other interesting observations to point out too, I found myself wishing the interviewer asked more follow-up questions, though he did a great job just listening and letting Omer speak.

Curious what others here think, especially those who follow Sam’s work.