You might not expect a 101-year-old Holocaust survivor to be the "happiest person" in the entire world, but you might change your mind after learning more about Eddie Jaku. Not only has he made it his life's mission for people to see the positivity in everything, but he's still going strong after living through some of the world's most terrifying events.
He's so confident in his approach toward happiness that he's written a book and performed a TED Talk about his experience and general outlook. In a world where people need happiness more than ever before, his general presence is much appreciated.
Born in Germany as Abraham Jakubowicz, he admits that seeing a smile from one otherwise grumpy individual is one of his favorite things.
"I thought I lived in the most civilized, most cultured and certainly the most educated country in Europe. And I was German first, and German second, and Jewish at home," he told Today. Back on November 9, 1938, Eddie remembers coming home from school to a home that was empty. It had been ransacked by Nazis.
Luckily, his family found each other. They escaped and hid for years, but eventually they were found and sent to Auschwitz — which is an experience that Eddie openly admits was very hard on him. "I was finally transported to my hell on Earth, Auschwitz," he said. "My parents and my sister were also transported to Auschwitz, and I was never to see my parents again."
While Eddie survived the harrowing experience, he realized how much it had changed him. Not many people can say they've seen the destruction and despair that Eddie has seen. "What I have seen, it is incredible," he told Today. "I tell this to people, but they don't want to believe it."
It might seem hard to understand how anyone could have a positive outlook on life after facing pure evil head-on. But he says his wife, Flore, helped him. He chose to start his own family, and things started looking up. Having a family was something that he admitted he wasn't sure he'd do.
Now he believes that the standard act of living should give people hope. "Where there is life is hope," he said. "If there's no more hope, you're finished. Family and friends are key to that hope." Eddie also highly values his friends, as they help his optimism grow.
In general, Eddie believes in making positive choices over negative ones. And that helps fuel his optimism. "I speak about happiness, I speak (about) what life can be," he said. And he believes that one of the best things you can wish for is your own health. "If you are healthy, you're a multimillionaire," he said.
Luckily, he wrote more about his life and his keys to happiness in his book, which came out this month. Titled The Happiest Man on Earth: The Beautiful Life of an Auschwitz Survivor, Eddie's book has already been heavily anticipated and widely read.
He's a brilliant reminder that you are in control of your own happiness. Bad things may happen, but by viewing life as a gift, you're more likely to focus on all of the good it has brought. People can be good, and people can be forgiven. After losing his parents and living in fear, Eddie doesn't even hate the Germans who took his childhood away from him.
Even though he's found his own happiness and has plenty of wisdom gained throughout his years, he's not afraid to talk about what the concentration camps were really like. These accounts are important to keep track of, as Holocaust survivors are dying off. "My number was 172338," he revealed to the Sydney Morning Herald. "When they tattooed the number on my arm, I was sentenced to a slow death, but first they wanted to kill my spirit."
Yet while those feelings are still there, Eddie knew that he had full control over them — which was something nobody could take away from him. "Every day I wake up is a happy day," he said. "I do not hate anyone, not even Hitler. Hate is a disease which may destroy your enemy but will destroy you in the process."
"You may not like everyone, but that doesn’t give you the right to be nasty to them," he continued. "I don't love everyone but I hate no one. There is no revenge; staying alive is the only revenge." Having gone through something so horrific, it's good to hear that Eddie has really taken the time to process these emotions. And it's something everyone should do. Despite the hardships of the past, the present is up to you. And Eddie spends his time counting his blessings rather than stewing in anger and bitterness.
