On Life, Hope, and Gratitude: Anne Frank's Diary Caught Me Off Guard
Where there is life, there is hope."
Only a handful of books have made me break down hard.
That includes me trying to control my sobs but bursting into fresh tears every time and clutching the book to my heart for an hour or so to soothe myself.
The Diary of A Young Girl is one such book. (And it is a phenomenal one!)
Perhaps it was because I related to Anne by so many degrees when I read the book — being a teenager, suffering through loneliness, wanting to be a writer, having tensions with elders, and discovering what growing up was like.
After reading about her doomed life, here are some lessons and observations I derived.
Paper > People
"Paper has more patience than people."
Anne noted this in the initial phases of her diary. That was the time when she was still living peacefully, unafraid of Hitler, with all the school and home troubles catching up.
Whenever Anna had to spill her heart out, she bled on paper.
When emotions clog me — or if my day was more than ordinary — I do the same.
Writing all your thoughts and feelings lightens your heart. It makes you think critically about the situation. You see both sides. It is a safe medium since nobody will read it and you won't be judged.
Sadly, most people are usually the opposite of the white sheet.
From now onwards, why don’t we act like paper? A little less judgy; a little more patient.
Also,
If you are feeling overwhelmed, or if you just experienced an unforgettable day, pen your thoughts down as honestly as you can. Let the rules visit hell. This way, the day would be even more memorable.
We aren’t grateful enough
“Everyday I think what a fascinating and amusing adventure this is!
With all that, why should I despair?”
Anne suffered through so much more than we can imagine.
While most of our anxieties are based on exams, friends, and money, Anne struggled for her very life.
She spent her teenage years — the years which should have been spent in a carefree manner — in hiding from a fanatic who hated Jews. In the Annexe, she went through heart-wrenching traumas beyond my comprehension.
Yet, she clung to hope and happiness whenever she could.
Frank’s above line taught me to never lose gratitude and hope so that life never loses its appeal.
There are two sides to every story
If things couldn’t be worse already, Anne was having trouble with her family.
As she fought depression, she had frequent altercations with her mother. With puberty hitting her, Anne grew withdrawn and moody. The relationship between Anne and her mother was problematic; their personalities were incompatible.
Anne wrote harshly about her mother.
Anne’s mother felt Anne growing more distant and rude, and she unleashed her fury at her younger daughter several times. Instead of being compassionate and giving her time, she added salt to the wounds.
On Anne’s part, she didn’t see her mother’s side until too late, absorbed in her pain and pride.
Yes, often you feel the other person is acting unjustly. Looking closely, you will realise that at times it is nobody’s fault.
The present matters the most
“Tonight I have to take a bath, and tomorrow? Tomorrow's so far away!”
These teeny, hopeful lines make my heart ache even more while I read.
We are often lost thinking about the bittersweet memories of our past or wondering about the future that awaits us. In these trances, we forget to live in the present, which is the only real thing out of the three.
Urban lives run faster than bullet trains.
In this hustle towards making a grand future, we don’t see how miserably we are wasting our present.
As Emily Dickinson said, “Forever is composed of nows.”
Time is slower than a snail yet faster than an aeroplane. You fail to notice its mischievousness. Don’t forget to savour the “Now” as days fly by!
Love can be found in the strangest of places
In the gloom of the Annexe, we found the silver lining in form of Peter Van Dan.
At first, he was just an outlet for her to vent and talk to when she felt lonely. As time went on, Anne and Peter began spending significant time together. Her friendship with him grew rapidly, almost as if it was a scene from a movie.
Soon, the inevitable happened.
Peter and Anne fell in love
“Love, what is love?
I don't think you can really put it into words.
Love is understanding someone, caring for him, sharing his joys and sorrows.
This eventually includes physical love. You've shared something, given something away and received something in return, whether or not you're married, whether or not you have a baby.
Losing your virtue doesn't matter, as long as you know that for as long as you live you'll have someone at your side who understands you, and who doesn't have to be shared with anyone else!”
Suggested Read
This week, I suggest you get your hands on the beautiful and heartbreaking The Diary of A Young Girl.
Hitler has risen to power. World War 2 has begun. Racism is at its peak.
In such a tough time, a young girl growing up pens her surprisingly nuanced and convoluted thoughts as honestly as she can in a diary gifted to her on her birthday.
Soon, the genocide of the Jew community begins. Her family — along with a few other Jews — run into hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
Not only is this book a memoir of how she and her family suffered from the Holocaust, but also how her teenage phase was affected.
Young adults will especially relate to how she feels.
There are jocular times, sad times, cheery times, and despondent times as Anne wades through dealing with some pleasant, some unpleasable people around her.
She figures out her feelings, gets too proud, suffers, and later always bleeds on paper.
It feels like an adventure book with a catch: The ending isn’t great and the consequences are real.
Her family has several close calls with getting caught … until they finally do.
The read won’t be easy, but the words will hit your heart with precision.
Previous issues, in case you missed them: