Instinct In Night By Elie Wiesel
Survivors of tragedies are often attacked by the media for saving themselves instead of the others. They say that if there is a chance to save them, it’s well worth it to risk your own life to try and save others, even if there is a low possibility of either of your surviving. To some, that belief makes sense. But to others, it’s seen as adding salt to the wound, where the survivor already feels internal guilt. Though saving others is the moral thing to do, in trying times, survival is not selfish. In high-stress environments, people may not know how to react, giving one and whoever they are trying to save added difficulty in their survival. Self- preservation is also an instinct. Instincts are uncontrollable, and therefore should not be shamed
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An instinct cannot be controlled, so one tries ensure their own safety before trying to save others. Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and author of Night, makes a strong point,“I began to laugh. I was happy. I felt like kissing him. At that moment, the others didn’t matter! They had not written me down.” (line 91, page 310). During selection at the concentration camp Wiesel was forced into, when he wasn’t chosen for selection, the joy he felt was stronger than the feelings he had for the suffering of the others who did get chosen. In an environment where it’s save oneself or die, one would most likely not want to add to the fatalities. That’s the emotion Wiesel felt, and though in a different context some would see it as selfish, many would say it was the opposite for him. Why does the reaction to a victim’s emotion differ between events, even though they all fall under the category of a tragedy?
Although saving others may seem like a priority, trying to save them all along with yourself will most likely add to the fatalities. People do not suddenly possess superhuman strength or invincibility when faced with a tragedy. In fact, many feel the opposite, as if they’re being stripped of all power they hold over themselves and whoever they are responsible for. In life or death situations, the only sensible thing to do is to save yourself. Though many may oppose, that contradictory ideology is shared
An instinct cannot be controlled, so one tries ensure their own safety before trying to save others. Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Holocaust, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and author of Night, makes a strong point,“I began to laugh. I was happy. I felt like kissing him. At that moment, the others didn’t matter! They had not written me down.” (line 91, page 310). During selection at the concentration camp Wiesel was forced into, when he wasn’t chosen for selection, the joy he felt was stronger than the feelings he had for the suffering of the others who did get chosen. In an environment where it’s save oneself or die, one would most likely not want to add to the fatalities. That’s the emotion Wiesel felt, and though in a different context some would see it as selfish, many would say it was the opposite for him. Why does the reaction to a victim’s emotion differ between events, even though they all fall under the category of a tragedy?
Although saving others may seem like a priority, trying to save them all along with yourself will most likely add to the fatalities. People do not suddenly possess superhuman strength or invincibility when faced with a tragedy. In fact, many feel the opposite, as if they’re being stripped of all power they hold over themselves and whoever they are responsible for. In life or death situations, the only sensible thing to do is to save yourself. Though many may oppose, that contradictory ideology is shared