The Dangers of Fear Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said: “The worst sin against our fellow men is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; this is the essence of inhumanity. Inhumanity is the worst attribute of humanity. From time to time, ordinary humans are brought to the point where they have no choice but to think about themselves. One of the most famous examples used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel's memoir, Night, demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that makes people lose sight of who they once were. After being sent to concentration camps, Elie was abruptly brought back to reality. Traumatic incidents such as Nazi persecution or the mistreatment of fellow prisoners pushed Elie to become aware of the cruelty around him; Or the wickedness that Elijah himself is capable of committing. This resulted in the loss of faith, innocence, and close connections with others. Throughout his memories, it is clear that Elijah is in constant struggle with his belief in God. Before Auschwitz, Elie was motivated, even eager, to learn more about Jewish mysticism. Yet after being exposed to the reality of concentration camps, Elijah began to question God. According to Elie, God “burned thousands of children… He operated six crematoria day and night… He created Auschwitz, Birkenau, [and] Buna” (67). Elijah could not believe the atrocities happening around him. He couldn't believe that the God he followed tolerated such things. In moments of sadness, when everyone prayed and sanctified his name, Elijah no longer wanted to praise the Lord; he was about to give up. The fact that the “Terrible Master of the Universe chose to remain silent” (33) made Elijah lose hope and faith. When someone chose... middle of paper ......ed Auschwitz, they were emotionally dead. The many traumatic experiences he went through affected Elie and his view of the world around him. Fear can affect people in ways they never thought possible. Sometimes they lose sight of who they once were and become a whole new person. The different experiences that Elie had in the concentration camps affected his entire world. Elijah, a devoted Jewish believer, lost faith in God after realizing he could not have faith in a God who tolerated inhumanity such as the one he experienced. Self-sufficiency was encouraged throughout the concentration camps, which is why Elie was forced to grow up and leave his innocence behind. Because of this autonomy, many began to view their friends and family as a burden rather than a motivator. Overall, we can say that fear is at the origin of many disasters in the world today...