Arnold Schwarzenegger has a powerful message for those who have gone down a path of hate.

Summary

In a heartfelt video, the speaker addresses the alarming rise of hate and anti-Semitism globally. Drawing from his visit to Auschwitz, he vividly recounts the atrocities committed against Jews, urging viewers to empathize with the victims and reflect on preventing such horrors from recurring. He warns against the seductive path of hate, highlighting its ultimate failure and futility, and instead encourages embracing strength through self-improvement and overcoming prejudice. The speaker's personal anecdotes and a survivor's story from Auschwitz underscore the message of resilience and the power of the human spirit.

Takeaways

• 📢 The speaker addresses the rising hate and anti-Semitism globally, emphasizing the importance of remembering the atrocities of the past to prevent them from happening again.
• 🕍 The script recounts a visit to Auschwitz, highlighting the immense suffering and loss of life that occurred there, particularly targeting Jewish people.
• 🧳 The vivid descriptions of the remnants of the Holocaust, such as unclaimed suitcases and personal belongings, serve as a stark reminder of the inhumanity of the event.
• 🗝️ The talk touches on the psychological impact of visiting such a place, urging individuals to empathize with the victims and consider the weight of history on their shoulders.
• 🚫 The speaker warns against the dangers of falling into hate and prejudice, drawing parallels between historical atrocities and current societal issues.
• 👥 The script discusses the various reasons people may be drawn to hateful ideologies, from personal frustrations to societal influences, and the shared outcome of misery.
• 💪 The message emphasizes the importance of personal strength and self-improvement over blaming others or subscribing to hate-filled ideologies.
• 🔥 The comparison of hate to a destructive fire that empowers temporarily but ultimately consumes those who harbor it is a central theme of the speech.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The speaker uses the analogy of physical strength and resistance training to illustrate the growth that comes from facing discomfort and challenging oneself.
• 🤝 The call to action is to abandon hate and instead focus on self-improvement, taking responsibility for one's own life and choices.
• 🌟 The story of a survivor from Auschwitz who maintained control over her mind despite the Nazis' attempts to break her spirit serves as an inspiring example of resilience and strength.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speech?

The main theme of the speech is the rising hate and anti-Semitism around the world, with a focus on the horrors of the Holocaust and the importance of 'Never Again'.

What is the significance of the speaker's visit to Auschwitz?

The speaker's visit to Auschwitz serves as a firsthand account of the atrocities committed there, emphasizing the weight of history and the need to prevent such horrors from happening again.

What emotions does the speaker describe feeling at Auschwitz?

The speaker describes feeling a tremendous weight, horror, and a deep sense of history, with the voices of the silenced millions begging not to be forgotten.

What are some of the vivid reminders of the Holocaust the speaker mentions?

The speaker mentions unclaimed suitcases, shoes, gold teeth, hair, log books with names crossed out, gas chambers with scratches, and the crematorium as reminders of the Holocaust.

What message does the speaker want to convey to those who might be on the wrong path?

The speaker wants to reach out to those who might have been led astray by hate or prejudice, urging them to reconsider their beliefs and choose a path of strength and understanding instead.

What personal connection does the speaker have to the topic?

The speaker has a personal connection through his father, who was a broken man after World War II, having lived through the guilt and consequences of the Nazi era in Austria.

What does the speaker suggest is the end result of following a path of hate?

The speaker suggests that following a path of hate leads to misery, brokenness, and a life devoid of success, fulfillment, or happiness.

Why does the speaker argue that hate is the easy path?

The speaker argues that hate is the easy path because it requires less effort to blame others for problems than to improve oneself, and it provides a temporary sense of empowerment.

What alternative path does the speaker propose to hate?

The speaker proposes a path of strength, self-improvement, and learning as an alternative to hate, emphasizing the importance of personal growth and responsibility.

What analogy does the speaker use to explain the process of personal growth?

The speaker uses the analogy of weightlifting and gym training to explain that personal growth, like muscle growth, comes from resistance and discomfort.

What final message does the speaker leave with the audience?

The final message is one of hope and empowerment, encouraging the audience to choose strength over hate, to conquer their minds, and to remember that there is always a chance for change.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Reflecting on Auschwitz: The Horrors of Hate

The speaker begins by addressing the rising tide of hate and anti-Semitism globally. They recount a visit to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp, where over 1.1 million people were murdered, predominantly Jews. The description paints a vivid picture of the atrocities committed there, from the unclaimed suitcases to the gas chambers and crematorium, emphasizing the inhumanity of the acts. The speaker urges the audience to imagine the suffering to understand the importance of 'never again.' They aim to reach those who might be swayed by hate, sharing personal stories of their father's generation in post-war Austria, highlighting the consequences of embracing hateful ideologies.

05:00

🛤️ Choosing the Path of Strength Over Hate

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the allure of the 'easy path' of hate and the historical failures of movements based on it, such as the Nazis, the Confederacy, and apartheid. They argue that hate is a short-lived, self-destructive force that leads to weakness and failure. The speaker emphasizes the importance of personal growth and strength, sharing their life's work in helping people find their inner strength. They acknowledge the struggle against prejudice and the need for constant vigilance. The speaker calls for the audience to reject hatred and scapegoating, instead focusing on self-improvement and embracing discomfort as a means of growth, using the metaphor of physical strength gained through resistance training.

10:02

💪 Embracing Discomfort for Personal Growth

The final paragraph focuses on the dichotomy between the path of hate, which is easy but leads to ruin, and the path of strength, which is challenging but leads to empowerment. The speaker shares a personal experience from Auschwitz, where they met a survivor who demonstrated incredible mental strength despite the physical and emotional torment she endured. The speaker implores the audience to choose strength over hate, to conquer their minds, and to change their lives for the better. They leave the audience with a message of hope, stating that no matter how far one has gone down the path of hate, there is always a chance for redemption and change.

Keywords

💡Hate

Hate is a strong feeling of hostility or animosity towards someone or something. In the video, it is discussed as a destructive force that has led to atrocities like the Holocaust and is a central theme, highlighting the speaker's call to reject hate and choose strength instead.

💡Anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism refers to hostility or prejudice against Jewish people. The script discusses the rise of anti-Semitism globally and the speaker's personal experience visiting Auschwitz, drawing a connection between historical events and current societal issues.

💡Auschwitz

Auschwitz is a reference to the Nazi concentration camp where over a million people were murdered during the Holocaust. The script uses Auschwitz as a powerful symbol of the horrors of hate and as a call to remember and learn from history to prevent such atrocities from happening again.

💡Never Again

'Never Again' is a rallying cry for those who fight to prevent another Holocaust. The script emphasizes this phrase as a commitment to remember the past and to actively work against hate and prejudice to ensure history does not repeat itself.

💡Prejudice

Prejudice is a preconceived opinion or judgment that is not based on reason or actual experience. The video discusses how prejudice can lead individuals down a path of hate and emphasizes the need to actively fight against it throughout one's life.

💡Strength

Strength in the context of the video refers to the power of the individual to resist hate and to grow personally. The speaker contrasts the easy path of hate with the challenging but rewarding path of strength, using gym analogies to illustrate the idea that growth comes from overcoming discomfort and resistance.

💡Responsibility

Responsibility is the state or fact of being accountable or to blame for something. The script talks about taking responsibility for one's beliefs and actions, suggesting that blaming others or finding scapegoats is a sign of weakness, whereas owning one's life choices is an act of strength.

💡Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are explanations for events or situations that invoke a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often without credible evidence. The video mentions these theories as a form of misinformation that can lead people down a path of hate and prejudice.

💡Echo Chamber

An echo chamber is a metaphorical term for an environment in which a person is insulated from most or all dissenting viewpoints, leading to a confirmation of their existing beliefs. The script warns against the dangers of echo chambers, which can reinforce hate and prejudice.

💡Discomfort

Discomfort in the video is used to describe the uneasy feeling that comes from facing challenges and stepping out of one's comfort zone. The speaker argues that embracing discomfort is essential for personal growth and overcoming prejudice.

💡Resistance

Resistance in the context of the video refers to the act of pushing against or fighting back, particularly in the face of challenges or negative emotions like hate. The speaker uses resistance as a metaphor for the struggle required to build personal strength and to change one's life for the better.

Highlights

The speaker addresses the rising hate and anti-Semitism globally, emphasizing the importance of understanding and preventing such atrocities.

Auschwitz is mentioned as a symbol of the horrors of the Holocaust, where 1.1 million people were murdered, primarily for being Jewish.

The emotional impact of visiting Auschwitz is described, with vivid details of the remnants of the atrocities committed there.

The speaker calls for empathy and imagination to truly understand the experiences of the Holocaust victims.

The phrase 'Never Again' is highlighted as a rallying cry for those fighting to prevent another Holocaust.

The speaker aims to reach out to those who may have been led astray by hate and prejudice, urging them to reconsider their beliefs.

Personal experiences of growing up in post-WWII Austria are shared, illustrating the lasting effects of war and hateful ideologies.

The dangers of joining hate movements out of frustration, perceived victimhood, or social pressure are discussed.

The speaker emphasizes that the path of hate is easy but leads to failure and regret, unlike the path of strength and self-improvement.

Historical examples of failed hate movements, such as the Nazis and apartheid, are cited to illustrate the futility of hate.

The importance of personal responsibility and self-improvement over blaming others or seeking scapegoats is stressed.

The speaker acknowledges the difficulty of overcoming prejudice but insists it is necessary for personal growth and strength.

The analogy of physical strength gained through resistance in the gym is used to illustrate the concept of mental and moral strength.

The choice between the path of hate and the path of strength is presented, with a call to action to choose the latter.

The story of a survivor from Auschwitz who maintained her mental strength despite the Nazis' attempts to break her is shared.

The speaker concludes with a message of hope, encouraging individuals to choose strength over hate and to conquer their own minds.

Transcripts

hello everybody

I want to talk to you today about the

rising hate and anti-Semitism we have

seen all over the world

in a few months ago I tweet Auschwitz

the Nazi concentration camp where 1.1

million men women and children lost

their lives

almost all of them were ruthlessly

murdered simply because they were Jewish

when you walk through a place like

Auschwitz you feel a tremendous weight

there are reminders everywhere of the

horrors that happened there

the suitcases never claimed by the

prisoners who were told to remember

exactly where they left their belongings

so they could retrieve them after they

were finished with their showers

shoes and the gold teeth and the hair

they were taken from the murdered to be

reused by the murderers to fund their

evil

the log books with thousands of names

crossed out as if a cruel accountant

only measured death

gas Chambers with scratches in the walls

from the fingernails of people who tried

to hold on to life

the crematorium

where the Nazis tried to erase all of

the atrocities

let me tell you something the way the

new bag hits you at the very beginning

heavier

than any squad I've ever done

it never goes away

it's the feeling of History

of millions of voices there were

silenced decades ago begging you

begging you don't you just look at their

shoes

but to spend a few hours in them to

imagine you were there

because once you imagine that you

arrived on that train and you were

sorted into those lines

and you smelt the smoke that didn't

smell like any wood you've ever burnt

before you never saw your families

coming out of those showers

and then you broke your butt off

while getting almost nothing to eat

until they looked more like a ghost than

a person

and then when you couldn't work anymore

and they considered you useless

they send you to the showers too

once you've spent the time to really

think about all those things

then your imagination has no choice but

to start the real work

how do we stop this from ever happening

again

after a trip to Auschwitz you will never

question why never again

is the rallying Cry of all of the people

who fight to prevent another Holocaust

you will never question that

they I don't really want to talk to

those people

I don't want to preach to the choir here

the day I want to talk to the people out

there who might have already stumbled

into the wrong direction into the wrong

path

I want to talk to you if you have heard

some conspiracies about Jewish people or

people of any race or gender orientation

and thought that makes sense to me

I want to talk to you if you found

yourself thinking about anyone is

inferior and how to get you because of

their religion or the color of the skin

or their gender

I don't know

the road that has brought you here but

I've seen enough people throw away their

futures for hateful beliefs so I want to

speak to you before you find your

regrets on the end of that path

I've talked a lot about my father

and the broken man that I was surrounded

by when I grew up in Austria after the

second World War

you know

they drank to numb the pain the parties

were riddled with injuries and shrapnels

from the evil War

and their hearts and their minds were

equally riddled with guilt

but besides the guilt and the injuries

they felt like losers not only because

they lost the world but also because

they fell for a horrible loser ideology

they were lied to and misled into a path

that ended in misery

some of them joined the Nazis because

they were filled with hate

some of them joined because they thought

they deserved more in their lives and

they bought into that idea that the only

way to make their lives better was to

make other lives worse

some of them joined because they were

frustrated with the government and some

of them just joined because everyone

else was doing it

in the end it didn't really matter why

they joined they were all broken in the

same way that's the bottom line here I

mean if you find yourself at the

crossroads wondering if that path of

hate might make sense to you for one

reason or the other or even wrapping

yourself with a flack of hate I want you

to know where that path ends

I want you to see very clearly in front

of you and in mind

because

throughout history

hate has always been the easy path the

path of least resistance I get it and I

mean it's easier to find a scapegoat for

a problem than to try to make things

better ourselves right

but let me be clear

you will not find success on the end of

that route you will not find fulfillment

or happiness

hate Burns fast in Pride it might make

you feel empowered for a while but

eventually consumes whatever vessel it

fuels

it breaks you

it's the path of the weak

and that's why there has never been a

successful movement based on hate I mean

think about that the Nazis loses

the Confederacy loses the apartheid

movement loses and the list goes on and

on

I don't want you to be a loser

I don't want you to be weak

see I've spent most of my life helping

people find their strength

this is where the action is strength

and despite all of the things that we

may disagree about and all my friends

who might say Arnold don't talk to those

people it's not worth it

I don't care what they say I care about

you I think you're worth it

I know that nobody is perfect I can tell

you this firsthand

and I can understand how people can fall

in the Trap of prejudice and Hate

whether you grow up surrounded by hate

or get sucked in the best sum of big

text algorithms that push you to the

extreme I can see how it can happen

I think all of us hold some Prejudice

there's no two ways about that

and we have to fight it our whole lives

[Music]

I know this is not the path of least

resistance it's easy to just throw

around some bogus science claiming that

you're Superior to someone else then it

is to actually work on becoming better

yourself

it's easy to make excuses that the

Jewish people conspired to hold you back

than it is to admit that you just needed

to work harder

it's easier to hate than it is to learn

it's easier when someone challenges you

to get hurty feelings and to go and find

some Echo chamber that will tell you

that you are right and they're wrong

but remember easier isn't better it

isn't

when you spend your life looking for

scapegoats you take away your own

responsibility you remove your own power

you steal your own strength

nobody who has chosen the easy path of

hate has gotten to the end of that road

and said oh what a life

no

they die as miserably as they lived no

matter how far you've gone

I want you to know did you still have

the chance to choose a life of strength

but you have to give up you war against

everyone that you hate let's give up

that war

whether you hate them because of their

color of the skin or their religion or

their gender or their sexual orientation

it doesn't matter Give It Up

give up that war you know the word that

you have to really fight is the war

against yourself

you have to fight the war against

yourself now it's not easy to look in a

mirror and to change your own life it's

hard as hell you have to take

responsibility you have to learn new

things you have to feel uncomfortable

good because discomfort is how we grow

that's how we become strong

if you run away from discomfort and

resistance your whole life you will

always be weak just think about the gym

for instance and that's where I learned

most of my lessons right the muscles

only grows from resistance you have to

struggle you have to build strength

The more I've washed my hands against it

still bar the bigger the biceps getting

the stronger they get

when I was trying to squat 600 pounds

and bench press 500 pounds and deadlift

700 it didn't feel like a walk in a park

it wasn't easy no

I was uncomfortable it was painful I

mean look at those photos I was

struggling I was crying out loud in pain

you know something you mind in your

character are no different than your

body and your muscles

if you want to grow as a person you

really have to make friends with pain

embrace the discomfort enjoy the

struggle

you have two paths in front of you right

now one of them is going to be the

harder one today

it's going to be downright painful you

would have to force your brain to think

in new ways

you may lose some friends who want to

hold on to their weak beliefs but as you

pull yourself away from that anger and

that hate eventually you will start to

feel empowered you will realize that you

have the greatest power of all the power

to change your own life

you'll be stronger than you've ever

known

the other path is easy

much easier you don't have to change

anything

in your life that you aren't happy about

can someone else's fault

you can keep fueling yourself on the

sugar high of hate

but the end of that road isn't pretty

I've seen it in my own eyes

you will end up broken

searching for ways to numb your pain and

your misery

see I don't want you to go through all

of that it's unnecessary

let me tell you something

when I walked through that camp in

Auschwitz

and I put myself in the shoes of those

people heard it into those gas Chambers

it was horrifying

one of the darkest moments of my life

but in that Darkness

a woman who survived the Horus of

Auschwitz helped me find the light

spend some time with her

it's a wonderful conversation with her

she told me that the Nazis could conquer

cities and countries

they could take her Freedom her friends

her family even her life

but they could never conquer her mind

what strength did woman had wow

so the bottom line is I don't care how

many hateful things you may have written

online

I don't care how often they have marched

with carrying that hateful flag or what

hateful things you may have said in

anger

there's still hope for you

there's still time for you

choose strength

choose life

conquer your mind

you can do it

thank you very much for listening