“‘ We study madness in order to learn how to resist,’ Professor Wiesel replies. ‘Madness holds the key to protest, to rebellion. Without it, if we are too “sane” by the standards of our surroundings, we can be carried along with the world’s madness.[sic]
‘Listen to a story: One day a just man came to the city of Sodom. He began to preach to its inhabitants, telling them to change their evil ways. He wanted to save them from destruction, a destruction he knew would come as a result of their sins against one another. “Please,” he said, “stop your cruelty, stop your inhumanity! You must be kinder to the stranger, to the children of the stranger!” He went on like that for many days, but no one listened. He did not give up. He continued preaching and protesting for many years. Finaly, a passerby asked him, “Rabbi, really, why do you do that? Don’t you see no one is listening?” He answered, “I know. No one will listen, but I cannot stop. You see, at first I thought I had to preach and protest in order to change them. But now, although I continue to speak, it is not to change the world. It is so that they do not change me.'”
–Ariel Burger, Witness: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom p. 119
Elisa's Spot 