Benjamin Zander's family escaped Hitler in 1938. Today he is the
conductor of The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra
In 2008 he gave a TED Talk called “The Transformative Power of Classical
Music.”
This is how he ended his talk:
What we say really makes a difference. I learned
this from a woman who survived Auschwitz. She went to Auschwitz when she
was 15 years old. And her brother was 8, and the parents were lost.
"We were in the train going to Auschwitz, and I looked down and saw my brother's
shoes were missing. I said, 'Why are you so stupid, can't you keep your things
together for goodness' sake?'" The way an elder sister might speak to a younger
brother.
Unfortunately, it was the last thing she ever said to him, because she never
saw him again. He did not survive.
"I walked out of Auschwitz into life and I made a vow. And the vow was,
"Anytime I speak to anyone, I’ll speak as if it’s the last time I’ll be able to speak
to this person.”
