Brian Levenson Reflecting on Grandma Irene and Identity
Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different than the ones we’ve done in the past. I just had an inspiring experience that I thought would hopefully make all of us think a little bit more about our own identity, our own values, our ancestors, and how those experiences and the experiences of our family members impact us and how we see the world today. I wrote a little bit and I’m going to share what I wrote, and this is the best medium I know to share important, interesting, unique information. I really hope that today is something that will make you think and inspire you to look inward and reflect on yourself. At its core, this podcast episode is about identity and how we use that identity to make a difference and make an impact in this world.
Here are some insights I’d like to share form today’s episode:
“What would you do if you were able to spend time with Adolf Hitler (without any consequences) if he was around today?” (7:15).
“It’s one of the best gifts I think my parents gave me and my brothers: the capacity and the ability to think critically and to have convictions in some of our thoughts, and to stay curious about those convictions” (8:15).
“When [my grandmother] did talk about her experience [surviving the Holocaust], it was mainly about how grateful she was to be in America and to have the family she had” (9:10).
“My grandma and her parents were the lucky ones in Hungary” (11:20).
“One of the stories that always stuck with me about grandma was, upon arriving to New York and seeing the Statue of Liberty, a soldier turned to her and said, ‘You have no idea how happy I am to see that lady again.’ To which my grandma replied, ‘No, sir. You have no idea how happy I am to see her’” (12:35).
“All of us have the opportunity to stand up against hate. We’re complicit when we don’t” (13:10).
“What I wasn’t expecting was for my trip to Hungary to be accompanied by so much emotion” (16:25).
“I’ve cried my way through Hungary. Some tears were tears of pride, and some tears were tears of sorrow. Some tears were tears of joy, and some tears were tears of anger” (16:45).
“They say that trauma lives in the body. While I have lived a ridiculously privileged life with very little trauma, perhaps my grandma’s trauma was pouring out of me as I walked the streets of Hungary” (17:00).
“Life can be sad, hard, and emotional. Perhaps we all need to lean into those emotions to ensure we are doing everything we can to leave this world better than how we found it” (19:20).
“[My grandma] would be blown away by the young people who are teaching and helping the older generation re-connect with their Judaism without fear” (20:00).
“We must never forget what happened and we must never forget that we are a team. We must support each other; have perspective on what can happen if we don’t” (20:30).
“I believe life should be enjoyed and lived with gratitude in the present…. But I know I can hold more space than just joy” (21:35).
“I need to carry some of my grandma’s trauma with me. It will help me step up and step out against inhumanity. I don’t want to leave my tears in Hungary” (21:50).
“If you are thriving, you have a responsibility to go pour into somebody else” (22:40).
“If you’re just thriving for yourself, I would argue that’s not a meaningful life” (22:50).
“We all have to understand the darkness of humans. We cannot be blind to it” (24:15).
“We all have to co-own our stories of the past” (25:00).
“We’re all an amalgamation of our DNA and our experiences, but our stories and our ancestors are inside of us. We carry them with us” (26:05).
“I’d like to challenge you to reflect on who you are, your history, your identity, and how that impacts your decisions today” (26:30).
“Do you have your story, or does your story have you?” (26:50).
“We must create new memories, new stories, new generations, new values, new ways of seeing the world, so that we can make this place better” (27:15).
If you’d like to connect with me further directly about this episode or anything else, you can reach out to me via email (brian@strongskills.co).
Thanks for listening.
-Brian
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