Step 5: Surviving"He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how."- Frankl
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Survival
Elie Wiesel“Who among you is Wiesel from Sighet?” The person looking for us was a small fellow with glasses. My father answered: “That’s me. Wiesel from Sighet.” The fellow’s eyes narrowed. He took a long look at my father. “You don’t know me?... You don’t recognize me? I’m your relative, Stein. Stein from Antwerp. Reizel’s husband. Your wife was Reizel’s aunt… She often wrote to us… and such letters!” My father had not recognized him. He must have barely known him, as my father was often dedicated to his studies. I recognized him right away. I had known Reizel, his wife. Stein told us that he had been deported in 1942. He said, “I heard people say that a transport had arrived from your region and I came to look for you. I thought you might have some news of Reizel and my two small boys who stayed in Antwerp…” |
I knew nothing about them… Since 1940, my mother had not received a single letter from them. But I lied:
“Yes, my mother did hear from them. Reizel is fine. So are the children…” He was weeping with joy. He would have liked to stay longer, to learn more details, to soak up the good news, but a German soldier was heading in our direction and he had to go, telling us that he would come back the next day. After a few visits, Stein encouraged us to stay together. “The only thing that keeps me alive,” he kept saying, “is to know that Reizel and the little ones are alive. Were it not for them, I would give up.” One evening, he came to see us, his face radiant. “A transport just arrived from Antwerp. I shall go to see them tomorrow. Surely they will have news…” He left. We never saw him again.He had been given the news. The real news. |
Viktor FranklWhile marching: The accompanying guards kept shouting at us and driving us with the butts of their rifles. Anyone with very sore feet supported himself on his neighbor’s arm. Hardly a word was spoken; the icy wind did not encourage talk. Hiding his mouth behind his upturned collar, the man marching next to me whispered suddenly: “If our wives could see us now! I do hope they are better off in their camps and don’t know what is happening to us.” That brought thoughts of my own wife to mind. And as we stumbled on for miles, slipping on icy spots, supporting each other time and again, dragging one another up and onward, nothing was said, but we both knew: each of us was thinking on his wife. |
Occasionally I looked at the sky, where the stars were fading and the pink light of the morning was beginning to spread behind a dark bank of clouds. But my mind clung to my wife’s image. I heard her answering me, saw her smile, her frank and encouraging look.
It was in this moment that I came to a deep understanding: For the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkiners. The truth- that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. |
Magda HerzbergerThoughts of Suicide One night I couldn’t stand it anymore. I got up and headed to the entrance door of our barrack. It wasn’t easy to do that because I woke up many who were sleeping very close to each other. Finally, I reached the door. I got out and I was looking at the fence which was charged with high intensity electrical current. I wondered if those who touched it and died instantly weren’t better off than myself. For them, the agony was over and they found peace in death. On that night, I was courting death and I had the thought of getting up the courage to end my life. Yet there was still something deep down within me the desire to live. It wasn’t easy to part with my life. Suddenly, I felt a hand touching my shoulder. I was terrified. To my surprise it was my fellow prisoner. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? What are you trying to do? How can you be so selfish? You are only thinking of yourself! Don’t you care about your loved ones, you family? Don’t you want to see them again? What if at the end of the way they are waiting for you? Do you want them to suffer until the end of their lives by losing you? Come back with me now and promise me you will never do this foolish thing again.” That was like a miracle. I came to realize that she was right. I decided to get hold of myself before it was too late. She was my savior. It was very strange and wonderful that she followed me, saving me from killing myself. My friend helped me a great deal. She pointed out to me that I had to bring back the light of hope into my heart and that I had to convince myself that I could keep up my motivation to fight for my life and endure all my suffering, then I would somehow survive in a miraculous way. |
I had to live one day at a time. I had to believe that no matter how remote it seemed, there was still a chance for an unforeseeable change for the better. I also had to find meaning in my life which would give me the strength to fight for my life. I told myself that I had to keep on living for the sake of my family so that I could see them again, and to be together with my loved ones. That gave meaning and a purpose to my life. It was very crucial to bring some positivity into my situation. I needed my energy so I would be able to work, which in turn assured my survival to a certain degree. I had to figure out which way to turn. Should I choose life or death? First, I asked myself if there was any meaning to my life under the circumstances in which I was trapped. I tried to justify the reason for choosing life. There were the following favorable points which could determine choice:
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Citations:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-camps
Wiesel, Elie, et al. The Night Trilogy. Hill and Wang, 2008.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-camps
Wiesel, Elie, et al. The Night Trilogy. Hill and Wang, 2008.