Fascinated by 'Diary of Anne Frank'

THIS WEEK’S WINNER

Jethamine B. Neñeza is a Special Education teacher, working with persons with autism. She has an AB Language and Literature degree from the University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City.

It was summertime and the sun was so bright that morning. The hot, humid weather made me feel uncomfortable to get out of the house. After a while dark clouds began to gather and the sky started to appear so gloomy. Later, heavy rain with accompanying thunder began to fall.

In my file, one book caught my attention: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. I held it in my hands and started to open the cover. There, I saw an autograph. Then, memories from four years ago flooded my mind, when one Korean friend gave me this book before he left Cebu where I once worked. He said, “I’m leaving for Korea tomorrow, so I thought of giving this book to you as remembrance of mine. Keep this, I’m sure you will love this book. It is the life story of a young Jewish girl whose experience reminds us of the horrors of World War II.”

What he said kindled my interest. So, the next day, I excitedly brought the book with me to my favorite place near our dormitory, where I could feel peace of mind and absorb what I was reading. Sitting on a bench, overlooking the beautiful sceneries of the islands of Cebu, I started reading it.

It was so vivid when I read it that I could imagine how families were separated and thrown to concentration camps during Hitler’s invasion of Holland, cut off from the outside world and facing hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters and the ever-present threat of death. As I read, I pictured the appearance of   personalities whose life and works marked world history such as Hitler, Musolini, Churchill, Princes Elizabeth of York and General Eisenhower.

After a moment of reminiscing over those memories four years ago, I brought myself back to my senses, laid the book on the table and read it again. I saw underlined passages that contained the point of views of people living under despairing conditions which I considered enthralling. I would love to share some of those:

“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 them does one feel that all is as it should be and God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As long as it exist, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.”

“Riches can all be lost, but that happiness in your own heart can only be veiled, and it will still bring you happiness again , as long as you live. As long as you can look fearlessly up into the heavens, as long as you know that you are pure within, and that will still find happiness.”

 “Think of the misery in the world and be thankful that you are not sharing in it.”

 “Go outside to the fields, enjoy nature and the sunshine, go out and try to recapture happiness in yourself and in God. Think of all that the beauty that’s still left in and around you, and be happy.”

“He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery.”

Anne Frank’s Diary is said to be one of the most moving personal documents to come out of World War II. Her remarkable diary has become a world classic, not only a powerful remembrance of the dreads of war but a fascinating portrayal of human courage and survival under extraordinary conditions of world’s history.

Why would I want to read about the horrors and humiliations of war? I realized that I was curious about how people lived, survived, and the encouragement they could give to us and the lessons they could teach. The two World Wars took millions of lives around the globe. Many countries were devastated and populations were threatened by starvation and death. Sadly, traumatized individuals are often left in the wake. 

Anne Frank at her young age, questioned, “Why should millions be spent daily on war and yet there’s not a penny available for medical services, artists, or for poor people? Why do some people have to starve, while there are surpluses rotting in other parts of the world? Oh, why are people so crazy?” 

These are realities that even a young girl like Anne could attest to. However, one thing that I appreciate is that despite the distress and degradation of their daily lives, Anne, her family and the other survivors never gave up. They stayed optimistic about the future.

 “We must not show our feelings , must be brave and strong, must accept all inconveniences and not grumble, must do what is within our power and trust in God. Sometime, this terrible war will be over. Surely, the time will come when we are people again, and not just Jews.”

I’m looking forward to a time when war is no more and peace will prevail. 

I closed the book, left it on the table, stood outside the house. The rain had stopped. The sun was shining.