Caring Mentors role models who inspire and encourage Anne Frank Finding Hope in Times of Despair By Daniel Fitzpatrick Grippo hoever is happy Wwill make others happy, too. With these disarmingly simple words, a young Jewish German girl, famous for the diary she wrote while hiding from Nazi persecution, offers us both a challenge and a promise. This is a fitting legacy for Anne
Frank, whose own life, so full of promise, was cut short but whose words live on. A life well lived In July, 1942, Anne Frank s family went into hiding above a store in Amsterdam, where they had fled after the Nazi rise to power in Germany. With the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, Anne s sister had been ordered to report for relocation to a work camp. Instead, the family of four went into hiding, sharing cramped quarters with four others. As one might expect, tensions soon developed among people forced to live in such confinement and constant fear. But through it all, Anne Frank never despaired. She somehow found meaning and hope in conditions that might lead many of us to despair. How did she do it, and what can we learn from this brave and gifted girl as we confront our own challenges and difficulties in life? Her now famous diary provides some important clues. I keep my ideals because, in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. When we have been hurt or treated unjustly, it can be very difficult to continue believing in the goodness of humanity. Anne Frank offers inspiration and insight. She chose to continue believing in the goodness of people, despite the terrible war and persecution around her and the extremely difficult conditions she and her family were forced to live in. How did she manage to keep believing? Writing in her diary was Anne s outlet. The nicest part is being able to write down all my thoughts and
feelings, otherwise I d absolutely suffocate, she wrote. Perhaps you, too, can find a way to express your feelings that will help you work through difficult feelings and arrive at new insights. Writing in a journal to express your feelings of sadness or despair may or may not be your style. Other avenues can also help. A conversation with a trained therapist or pastoral counselor can help you uncover the source of your depression or despair. A dear friend, by being a good listener, can help you lighten your load and find your own answers. You can share your burden with God in prayer. Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. All of us have days when the sun fails to shine for us. But the clouds usually pass in short order. People who are deeply sad, depressed, or in a state of despair, however, often speak of a world gone gray. To be sure, Anne Frank had her darker moments. She wrote at one point, I ve asked myself again and again whether it wouldn t have been better if we hadn t gone into hiding, if we were dead now and didn t have to go through this misery. But Anne refused to allow herself to get stuck in this sentiment. Speaking of her family, Of all the multitudes who throughout history have spoken for human dignity in times of great suffering and loss, no voice is more compelling that that of Anne Frank. President John F. Kennedy, 1961
I hope Anne s book will have an effect on the rest of your life so that insofar as it is possible in your own circumstances, you will work for unity and peace. Otto Frank, corresponding with readers of the diary she goes on to write, We still love life, we haven t yet forgotten the voice of nature, and we keep hoping. A feeling of despair can be triggered by circumstances or events that are indeed very challenging a death or other great loss, a serious illness or injury, being separated from the people we hold most dearly, serious economic setbacks. Alone or in combination, such challenges can send us reeling. What can we do when we feel overwhelmed and desperate? Speaking with a doctor will help you uncover any physical conditions that might be contributing to your emotional state. Rest and nutrition are also essential to give you the strength you need to face whatever life has thrown at you. Anne Frank also had a recommendation: The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be. This pearl of wisdom comes from a girl who could not go outside! She certainly gives us a place to start on our
road to emotional recovery. Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. Years before Norman Vincent Peale published The Power of Positive Thinking, Anne Frank was writing about the great and positive potential for good each of us carries inside. For Anne, the good news inside us is that we don t know how great we can be, how much we can love, how much we can accomplish. Anne s perspective and insight hint at the remarkable optimism and high self-esteem that she must have possessed. These are precisely the qualities that will help to keep us from despairing. But in a cruel twist, they are also the qualities in shortest supply when we are despairing. What can you do to build or restore your optimism and self-esteem when you need them most? Where there is hope, there is life. Anne Frank I long to ride a bike, dance, whistle, look at the world, feel young, and know that I m free. Research suggests that when we are at play our brain floods our body with chemicals that promote positive feelings and contentment. These are precisely the qualities we need to draw on when feeling despair. Make a list of all the activities that at one time or another in your life have made you feel good about yourself and about life. Especially focus on hobbies, recreations, and pastimes that have brought joy. Perhaps you once took a class in painting or learned to play chess. Maybe you were a collector as a teen, or loved to make a stage and act in your own plays as a child. Maybe it s time to oil up the bicycle gathering dust in
the garage and take it for a spin on a nice afternoon. It s true that games and pastimes alone will not solve your problems. But healthy recreation can lead to a noticeably more positive attitude that you can use to find creative solutions to whatever problems cause you to despair. You can, literally, re-create yourself as a more optimistic person. Call on others to support you in your efforts, and give yourself permission to play and enjoy life again. Need some motivation to get started? Look no further than Anne Frank and her positive attitude despite desperate conditions. Denied all the joys of her childhood, she still managed to keep hope alive. Enjoy and cherish the freedom that you have, regardless of your circumstances or limitations. Do it for yourself and, if further motivation is needed, do it in memory of Anne Frank as well. [The person] who has courage and faith will never perish in misery. Anne s family and those in hiding with them were eventually betrayed, and on August 4, 1944, two years after they had taken refuge, their hiding place was stormed by security police. They were deported to concentration camps where Anne, her sister, and her mother soon died. Anne s father Otto, the only member of the Frank family to survive the camps, later commented upon reading her diary, I had no idea of the depth of her thoughts and feelings. Somehow, in their dark and cramped hideout, Anne had hit upon the formula for holding onto hope: courage plus faith. Perhaps right now these qualities seem to be in short supply in your own life. Call to mind the words of monk and author Thomas Merton: Courage comes and goes.
Hold on for the next supply. Pray with confidence for the courage and faith you need. Trust that they will be provided. Hope is at hand! Although Anne Frank did not survive the scourge of Nazi persecution, her words did. Her diary soon gained an international following and in the 1950s was adapted to a Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play and acclaimed movie. It has been translated into many languages and is required reading in many schools worldwide. Anne s example of courage and faith under horrific conditions offers all of us a reason to hope. Nazism finally was crushed, but Anne Frank s spirit never was. And if you take her words and message to heart, neither will your spirit be! Daniel Fitzpatrick Grippo is a writer and editor on topics of spirituality and care. He can be reached at writingdan@yahoo.com. He wishes to acknowledge the research contribution made by spirituality author and editor Joel Schorn, www.joelschorn.com. For further inspiration Books: The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank, edited by Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler, translated by Susan Massotty, New York, Doubleday, 1995. The Story of Anne Frank, Amsterdam, Anne Frank House, 2004. Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller, translated by Rita and Robert Kimber, New York, Henry Holt, 1999. Website: Anne Frank Museum, Amsterdam, www.annefrank.org
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