For Goodness Sake

The weeks after TAKS, my class did a unit of study on the Holocaust. We did the butterfly project, watched age appropriate videos, discussed the times, and read Number the Stars. My kids loved it because it was new and shocking. I loved it because my kids were engaged and actually learning. They could see the dangers of bullying, ignorance, and passiveness. At the end of our unit, we talked about Anne Frank - her predicament, her life, and her attitude. She was courageous, optimistic, and inspirational. She was in the worst of times and held on the belief in the basic goodness of people. She had hope in her fellow man and, in the end, was giving beyond belief. She looked upon her world with hope and confidence that she would be proved right. She was.

It seems, lately, that the question of people's goodness and upbringing keep popping up at random times. Call me Pollyanna, but I have faith in the generations to come. There is always the bad apple but there is so much more good than bad. We can choose to focus on the bad and shake our heads or chose to look towards our bright stars. We can give up on those that need us most or we can see the potential in them and push them to be better than they are. I chose the latter. I may end my days with hands full of my own hair but I chose to not give up. There is too much beauty in this world to say that the future generations are doomed.

Here are some quotes from Anne. If she can truly hold these ideals while people were seeking her life, I hope that we can humble ourselves to seek the good in those around us.

It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.