Tied To Ideals

Anne Frank's Tree Wins Reprieve

It never ceases to amaze me how much we value ideas, especially those ideas pertaining to hope, freedom, and happiness. Those ideas enrich our souls and give meaning to life.

I think this is why I enjoy reading dystopian fiction so much - in forcing a society to live up to an ideal, the society ends up robbing the people belonging to it the very things most societies (and people) should value most.

I really hope they can save the tree, because it gave Anne Frank hope, and that physical representation of her hope in a dark time gives us all hope. But if it's felled, I hope they would be able to plant another tree in its' place.

I remember visiting the Anne Frank house when I was in Amsterdam a few years ago (not so few - it was June of 1999). I can't believe they were able to fit so many people in that small space. It's no wonder to me that Anne would look outside the only window she could, and gazed.