Eddie Jaku, the author of The Happiest Man on Earth, claims to be one. A holocaust survivor decides to live happily and smile until he is alive despite his difficulties at the concentration camp. This book is my second from the dark times, and it is difficult to gauge what one goes through at the camp.
Eddie Jaku was an ordinary man like me. He did not have a grand philosophy to live by. He endured the camp’s hardships and was determined to be alive, not just ‘give-up-it-is.’ Probably on the lowest and the hardest day at camp, he decided to live the rest of his life happily. His friend Kurt and a faint hope to see brighter days kept him going.
Eddie Jaku answers some of my questions that arose while reading Man’s Search for Meaning. He kept his kindness and values. He never spread hatred and didn’t hurt or cause pain. Can one be kind to someone who tortured him? Can one keep his values while he lived in a situation that devoured everything he trusted and believed?
In his own words — “Don’t blame others for your misfortunes. No one has ever said that life is easy, but it is easier if you love it. If you hate your life, it becomes impossible to live. This is why I try to be kind. Even though I have suffered, I want to prove to the Nazis that they were wrong. I want to show the people who hate that they are wrong”.
“So I hate no one, not even Hitler. I do not forgive him. If I forgive, I am a traitor to the six million who died. There is no forgiveness. When I say this, I speak for the six million who cannot speak for themselves. But I also live for them, and live the best life I can”.
“I promised when I came out of the darkest hours of my life that I would be happy for the rest of my life and smile, because if you smile, the world smiles with you. Life is not always happiness. Sometimes, there are many hard days. But you must remember that you are lucky to be alive — we are all lucky in this way. Every breath is a gift. Life is beautiful if you let it be. Happiness is in your hands”.
And quoting some of his words from the book -
You don’t want to fall in love with a reflection of yourself! A strong partnership is with a man/woman who is different from you, who challenges you to try new things to become a better person.
Happiness doesn’t fall from the sky; it is in your hands. Happiness comes from inside yourself and from the people you love. And if you are healthy and happy, you are a millionaire.
Shared sorrow is half sorrow; shared pleasure is double pleasure.
If you are not free in your heart, don’t take away your children’s freedom. I always tell my children, ‘I brought you into this world because I wanted to love you. You owe me nothing but that. All I need from you is your affection and respect.
Hate is a disease. Which may destroy your enemy but also destroy you in the process
Tomorrow will come but first, enjoy today.
