“It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”

When I read this line in Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” earlier this week, my heart skipped a beat.

This young girl, in the depths of the most horrific period of our world’s history, was experiencing violence first-hand day after day.

Anne lost countless friends and loved ones during the Holocaust. She witnessed not only a divided country, but a divided world. Every move of the last months of her life was dictated by one of the most hateful, malicious groups to ever exist.

And yet, as evidenced in the above quote and many other times throughout the book that carries on her memory and serves a legacy to countless others, Anne Frank had hope.

Surrounded by violence, this young woman was brave enough to face the world with optimism. She refused to abandon her ideals, and continued to look for the good in even the evilest of people.

As our country continues on this vicious cycle of violence, I think we could all stand to learn a lesson from Anne Frank.

This weekend’s war between “black” and “blue” is only the latest in a long list of hate crimes, and as that list grows longer, I know I’m not alone when I say I am afraid for our country.

The sheer volume of these events has grown so massive that it is easy to understand why people — especially those belonging to minorities or who work in public safety — are afraid for their lives, and I can certainly understand the fear many have for the future of our country.

This onslaught of hatred is unpredictable, tragic and terrifying, but we cannot allow fear to dictate our lives.

If strong enough, fear has the power to fuel violence, and as we have learned, fighting violence with violence solves nothing. These retaliations are not only hypocritical; they are redundant. It is time to find a new course of action.

Anyone can raise their fists and fight back, but the truly courageous person — a person like Anne Frank — will keep a clear head and a pure heart.

To be sure, it can be difficult to keep a positive attitude when we are surrounded by so much negativity, and maybe to some this approach seems naïve, but it is impossible to find a solution to a societal problem if we have given up hope on humanity.

If a teenage girl can find the courage and compassion to keep her strong while trapped in a concentration camp, we can find it in our hearts to maintain hope for our country.

As our country continues to heal and fight a war on hate, I will opt to choose optimism over fear, because like Anne, “I simply can’t build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery, and death… I think…this cruelty will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.”

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached by phone at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.