Sunday, April 15, 2012

What can we learn from a 108 year-old survivor?

Alice playing piano in her younger years
Alice today at 108
This video defies simple verbal summary, since words cannot do the subject justice. 108 year-old Holocaust survivor Alice Herz Sommer discusses how she survived and what the experience taught her. Much in this interview by Tony Robbins (yes, THAT Tony Robbins) defies the simplistic stereotypes of survivors and what makes them "tick." A biography about her was published in 2008. A renowned pianist, music was her refuge from the daily miseries of life under the Nazis. "I learned to be thankful for everything." A very interesting comment (among many): "I am Jewish without religion." Among the host of lessons we can learn from Alice: It's never too late...for ourselves or for humanity.