By Molly Walker
Most of us have never had to live through any unthinkable trauma in our lives. We hear stories of the horrors that some people have had to experience and can't imagine how they lived through it. We hear of children who live the first part of their lives without any love or attention at all. There are stories of children found who have been severely beaten over and over again. There is an outrageous number of children who grow up homeless or in severe poverty who writhe from hunger and extreme weather conditions. These stories are so horrid to hear of because these children have been deprived of what we see as basic human needs and rights. We think 'How can anyone live through that?' Many of us believe that we never could. And certainly, many do not. But mankind has an amazing amount of endurance. Everyday, people suffer horribly but cling to their lives with an amazing amount of zeal. Perhaps it is because they love and treasure the precious gift of life even when that life is miserable. Perhaps it is because those who are suffering do not know that there is anything better. Perhaps it is because they feel that, though they may have nothing else, they have their life, and cherish it as their one possession. Whatever the case, we find that people who have lived through the worst of what life has to offer are often the ones that refuse to give up.
My intention is to show not the people who succumb to the horrors of their lives, but those that battle all the way. There are certainly many people who suffer throughout their lives and many people who give up. I want to show what we are capable of if only we choose to fight. I believe that too many people give up in life after suffering. I think that this is because they have the same thought as most of us in that they don’t believe that they can live through it. My mother always told me "This too, shall pass." I think that if people only realized that life is worth living even when it is laden with suffering, they would learn to be happier all around.
Genie was discovered in 1970 at the age of 13. She was severely malnourished, could not walk or stiffen her legs and arms, and did not have toilet habits. Genie was taken into custody and sent to a hospital. Tests and research there showed that she had a mental and emotional level of a one-year-old. She could not speak at all, but only able to make whimpering noises. It was discovered that her father, who hated children and had already had two die from neglect, had insisted on her isolation. He made cords and fastened her onto a toilet, leaving her there for an entire day. If she made any noise at all, he beat her. At night, if she was not forgotten, she was wrapped in a straitjacket and placed in a crib. She was often hungry; her brother fed her mostly baby food and was forbidden to speak to her. Her mother was too blind to take any care of her. Under supervised care, Genie's IQ increased form 32 to 74 in seven years. She learned to walk and go to the bathroom in only seven months. She was able to learn words and phrases, though she still rarely used them. At the age of 20, she was still not able to fully take care of herself, but her life and mind had changed completely. While out in the city with a doctor one-day she said, "Genie happy."
Isabelle was found much earlier than Genie. Born in 1938, she was discovered at the age of about six and a half years. She had been kept in seclusion because she was an illegitimate child. She spent a lot of time with her mother. Unfortunately, her mother was a deaf-mute and they spent their time in a dark room away from the rest of the family. She could stand, but was very bowlegged. She moved around by "skittering." She made only croaking sounds. She was inadequately fed, making her rachitic. Tests showed that she had the mental capacity of a two-year old. At first, doctors thought that she would not be able to develop normally at all. But, under intensive treatment, Isabelle slowly began to learn and grow. Then, quite suddenly, she began to develop through each stage in procession and very quickly. Her IQ trebled in only a year and a half. At the age of 14, she was in the sixth grade and her teachers reported her to have the normal activity of her classmates. Isabelle, though slightly behind most people her age, developed quite normally and went on to lead a happy and healthy life.
Cybil had a very different childhood from those of Isabelle and Genie. She had much contact with people and went to school. Any sicknesses were treated, such as having her tonsils removed at one point. She went to school and appeared to lead a normal life. She grew up and taught young children with whom she had good relationships. It was at that time of her life, though, that she began to experience flashbacks. She sought out the help of a psychiatrist. In an attempted suicide, it was discovered that Cybil had multiple personalities. It is estimated that there were 33 of them. In order to eradicate these personalities, Cybil had to find out why they had appeared in the first place. With the psychiatrist, she had to relive her childhood. Cybil's mother had showed love and attention in the presence of others. After her father left for work each morning, though, her mother drew the shades and literally tortured her. She would give her an enema and force her to hold it until she had finished playing a song on the piano. She chained her daughter up to the wall of the barn and left her there for the day. She sexually assaulted her with a buttonhook. Each of Cybil's personalities knew about the others and about Cybil, though she did not know about them. She had fissioned from herself many times. To bring herself back together, she had to remember all of the horrid things that had happened to her. It was a hair-raising experience, but, when it was over, Cybil was a normal young woman who lead a normal life. She was able to be happy and sad, comfortable and scared. She chose to go through the horrors of her childhood so that she could continue to live and to have the full experience of life.
Abraham Lincoln is generally known as one of our country's greatest leaders. He was known for his role in the civil war and the Emancipation Proclamation. He was also known for his general melancholy and severe bouts of depression. Lincoln's childhood was far from happy. He was very poor. His father made him work on their farm, and he had little time to study or learn anything beside farm work. His father drove him hard, treating him like a slave. He was also physically abusive. He worked very hard and did everything he could to learn and to read, but it was very difficult for him. He worked his way up from the bottom of the social system without any help. He no doubt felt the enormous pressure of his life's struggles as well as those of the presidency. But Lincoln was also known for his amazing sense of humor. It was subtle, passive, and ironic, though never sarcastic or cruel. In the midst of stress and depression, Lincoln was able to laugh and make others laugh. It is said by many that this laughter was his saving grace.
Each of these cases shows someone who suffered horribly but refused to give up. Many of us think that these things are impossible to survive or that they are not worth surviving, but these people would strongly disagree. Genie and Isabelle were not given some of the most important things for their development as people, but were able to get past the pain and suffering of their childhoods and to actually feel joy and love for life. Cybil chose to relive all of the horrific experiences of her childhood in order to make her life full and happy when she could have given up. Abraham Lincoln also chose to endure not only the painful times and memories of his childhood, but the burdens of leading a country, all of the time keeping a sense of humor that made him famous. Everyone in these stories found happiness with life by choosing to endure through the hard times when many of us would have given up. I think that if people only knew that life really is worth living, they would also choose to endure.
The horrifying nature of these stories can bring about a new perspective toward life in general. We all complain and often feel pity for ourselves in hard times. These stories should make us feel lucky to never have had to live through such things. It is more important, though, that they should make us feel hope and courage. We often feel defeated and hopeless when we are presented with the trials of life. Knowing that humans have the capacity to not only survive trials of the most severe magnitude, but still find joy and a love and passion for life should make us realize how precious a gift life really is. The high number of suicides in recent times shows that many of us do not have this appreciation for life. We should think, however, about how precious life becomes when it is the only thing you have. We would perhaps all be happier if we were able to cling to our lives with the fierceness of the people in the above stories. If we don't believe that we would ever be able to live through the worst of what the world has to offer, how can we expect to do so if the time comes? It is important to realize that we, as people, are capable of so much more than we may know. If we are able to realize our capacity for suffering, we may discover that it is worth the pain to go on living.
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