People generally do not like to be lectured. Everyone will end up doing whatever they want regardless what anyone else has to say about it. When it came to a convocation lecture with holocaust survivor Eva Kor, 81, my perspective change dramatically on how to look at life.

Eva Kor has the attitude and drive that many people couldn’t possibly relate. He integrity, mental toughness, and perseverance were the main elements that kept her and her twin sister alive. Even though no one can really understand her struggles, she shares her lecture three life lessons that everyone can take out from her story.

• Forgive the ones that once hurt you.
• Do not be prejudice
• Never giving up on our dream or ourselves

Forgiveness was breathtaking to hear coming from a survivor from a more then terrible time of the past. Forgiveness is the hardest for anyone to truly accomplish. If Kor can forgive the doctor, Mengele, that physically, mentally and emotionally hurt her, we can all forgive the people that stabbed us in the back, talk negative about us, friends stealing our clothes, etc.

Prejudging others is a walking disease that still lives on strongly in our communities in society. There are movements that are trying to bring awareness to the subject, but the question is how are we going to solve the issue. Kor had a suitable example of a time she was prejudice with thinking that kids that sagged their pants meant that they were criminals and trouble makers. Come to find out the kids that she specifically pointed out one time at a lecture of hers, were role model students with stunning grades and clean reputations. Kor elaborated to us how getting to really know someone is what everyone should do before passing any judgment upon ones character.

Other then the forgiveness and prejudging others, it is highly critical to never give up on yourself.You really can’t fulfill the first two lessons without it. Kor was not going to let anyone determine her life while she was held in filthy facilities and living environments of the concentration camps. She constantly promise herself that she would get out of here with her sister, Miriam. With her determination and belief, she over came a deadly illness that was supposed to kill her within two weeks. This mental toughness is something that possible cancer survivors could relate to at a certain point. Kor had no medication that could save her, it was a miracle that she survived it. Kor was only about 5 or 6 years old when she was being experimented on. Kor and Miriam have suffered many health issues due to the unknown inflectional injections they continuous had in camp. Kor has also had miscarriages, tuberculosis, and only one kidney that partially works. Do not ever give up on yourself. You never know what your mind can really do if you don’t believe that you can do it.

I could go on and on on how Kor has struggled but that was not her focus during her lecture to us college students. The moral of her lecture was to spread these lectures for society to practice. Eva never once showed weakness while presenting her story to the over 200 people in Spurlock gymnasium, at Franklin College. I am sure that all her lectures are similar. She showed true and phenomenal leadership actions. I hope Eva lives to be 100 years old and have the opportunity to share her amazing story to as many people as she can with a little help by a Franklin College student.