I posted last about attending TCSS in Corpus and having the opportunity to meet Eva Kor, a survivor of Auschwitz. Since then, I have submitted the paperwork and have 30 students signed up to participate in a book study over her book and a SKYPE session with her! I’m am very excited about this. We had over 30 students sign up, but the museum only allows 30 so we had to go based on time stamp of registering online. I’ve talked to a few students already and they are very excited to get started.
So on to her next life lessons that she shared with us in Corpus.
Life lesson 2 was about Prejudice. She said that it always hurts the victim and talked about how societies that permit it to happen are destroyed by it.
“It is the cancer of the human soul.”
She went on to discuss how it is her obligation to not have prejudice. That everyone has an obligation to not have it. For example, she talked about how students should wear uniforms as they go to school only to improve their minds! Not to impress others.
“You must judge people on their merits.”
Life Lesson 3 was the one I found the most humbling. Her life lesson #3 is:
“Forgive the Nazis.”
Wow. How amazing is her forgiveness and grace?? She talked awhile about forgiveness and I was mesmerized by her every word. I wanted to remember it exactly. I typed it as fast as I could in the notes on my iPhone (yeah, I know, I should have just recorded her, but I wasn’t thinking about that at the time).
“You have the power to forgive. No one can give it to you and no one can take it away. As long as you have someone you are angry with, you are still a victim. Forgiveness is a feeling of wholeness. It is freeing. It works. It has no side effects.”
Are you amazed yet? You can find a lot more information about her with a simple google search, or by reading her book!
I started this blog as part of the #IMMOOC. I didn’t really follow the assigned blog prompts each week, but I was grateful for the ideas shared by others and the opportunity to challenge myself to reflect and write. As I reflect on Mrs. Kor, her life, her message, and all the amazing ideas from the #IMMOOC, I think about innovation and society. How far have we come as a society in education? In helping others? In ridding the world of prejudice? In creating, growing, learning, reflecting, and becoming innovative??
In the current political climate, it is really HARD to see positives. A lot of negativity has come out in our society/culture/world. Can we all take a minute to pause and think about Eva’s message? I hope I can follow her life lessons in all things that I do in life. Do you?
One last thing to leave you with from Mrs. Kor:
The Empowered Learner 