Goodbye, Anne Frank

I read the play The Diary of Anne Frank in Junior High School and it quite literally moved me to tears. I was 13 at the time – the same age Anne was when she went into hiding.

She became a friend of mine; someone I could count on to get me through hard times. After all – if she could have faith in humanity despite everything she was going through, then I could too.

I shaped my worldview after one line in particular: In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.

Here she was, living in isolation with her family, fearing for her life – and she still had faith in the goodness of mankind. I admired her and that became my motivation to always see the best in people.

But this has been much harder for me these days.

I see atrocities being committed by people in the news on a daily basis, and it only seems to be getting worse. People are killing. Hatred is becoming the norm. Politicians are inciting violence. Some of my own family and friends are responding in ways I can’t understand, much less respect.

It’s been a major disconnect for someone like me, who has made it my life’s work not to become jaded.

But, I’m 45 now. Life’s happened. My faith in the goodness of others has led me to get hurt more times than I care to count and well, I simply can’t seem to hold onto that ideal anymore.

It hurts me severely, but then, I try to be fair to myself.

As horrible as things were for Anne in the annex – she saw so much more before she died.

So much more AFTER the play that so inspired me.

She saw hatred. Pain. Misery. Suffering.

Before she died of typhus at the age of 15…did she still believe in the goodness of others? Had that belief survived the concentration camps? The loss of her family and friends? The loss of her dear Peter, or her beloved journals?

Perhaps the true mishap was a 44-year-old woman trying to cling to the optimistic ideals of a young girl who never had the chance to learn better.

We are now worlds and lifetimes apart…and maybe it’s time I let her go.

Goodbye, Anne.

Thank you for your friendship, your inspiration, and your hope.

I’ll take it from here but…I’ll never forget you.