Lead a Passionate Life

This week I decided to listen to a talk by Ben Dunlap on: The Story of a Passionate Life.Mr.Dunlap teaches at Woolford College in South Carolina and it was there that he met a Jewish immigrant by the name of Sandor Teslor. He was by then 90 years old, had started at the college in his 80's, and had taken all the courses in the college catalog.
Mr. Dunlop's talked focused on the hard life that Mr. Teslor had led from being born with 2 club feet, to he and his family being arrested and taken to the death camps by the Nazis. After surviving that, but losing his business in Yugoslovia, he immigrated to the U.S. where he finally settled in Spartanburg, S.C.. There the Clan was taking hold, but again Mr. Teslor would not be beaten and was able to be successful again. Here was a man who had faced unhuman cruelty and hardship, but never let his spirit be broken. He also never let his love of learning stop. It was in one of Mr. Dunlops lectures that he even begged to differ on the state of human beings and humbly argued that "Human beings are fundamentally good". Quite an amazing statement from a man who had survived the Nazis and prejudices again in the deep south.
We could all learn a lesson from this humble man about living life to the fullest, appreciating every day we are given, forgiving those who have hurt us, and never giving up our passion to learn. This is a man who could have easily given up, become bitter, and lived a life of hatred. Instead he chose to forgive, look beyond, and if you listen to the talk, learn how he wisely handled the prejudices and segregations of the South.