The emigrant ship Austria sank in the Atlantic after a fire broke out on its passage from Hamburg to New York in 1958. 456 passengers perished during the disaster and artist Johann Carl Berthold Püttner created this painting shortly afterwards.

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New York Philharmonic conductor Theodore Eisfeld was one of 89 survivors. He was thrown from the ship and he tied himself to a plank to stay afloat. He ended up drifting alone in the ocean without food or water for 2 days.

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He spent the last 24 years of his life completely ridden with survivor guilt and never returned to conducting.

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Question for reflection:

Why do you think Theodore Eisfeld had the strength and determination to endure 2 days adrift in the Atlantic Ocean but was unable to resume his life afterwards?