1998 Volkswagen Golf Put Simply Car Will Start Unless Hold Bright On Trick

To put it simply my car will not start unless I HOLD my bright on. It is a trick I figured out when I could not get it to turn on. My headlights or car will not turn on when I turn the light knob. My ac defrost wipers and everything else will not turn on either. If I turn on the knob for the lights and hold the bright lights forward everything inside my car works. So if I want to start my car I have to get in turn the knob for the lights then grab and hold the bright lights switch forward ‘towards the driver’ then everything in the car works and my car starts fine. There is nothing wrong with the car at all it runs great once on. It is just I cannot drive at night or in rain cause of this. When driving it is the same thing my ac lights wipers will not work unless I hold the bright lights on but the car will not turn off at all. The blinkers and brake lights work fine with or without the bright. So it kind of seams like nothing in the car is getting power unless I have my lights knob and bright lights held on then somehow everything inside turns on and I can start my car. Any ideas? I really need to know what it is and how to fix it.