When I was a child I had a copy of "The Diary of Anne Frank" and it was one of my favorite books.
Now, I can't swear to this (maybe I dreamed it?) but I THINK there was something in the forward, or preface, or something, of that book, by someone, that went something like this:
While Adolf Hitler was commanding the world stage, speaking to hundreds of thousands to thunderous applause, moving huge armies all over Europe, Anne Frank was, unseen and unknown, quietly penning her diary in her small annex.
Now, no one listens to the rantings of Adolf Hitler, but Anne's inspirational words have been read by millions all over the world, and her voice continues to be heard.
(COMPLETELY paraphrased! The original was much more eloquent .. but this was the basic idea.)
More after the jump...
I thought maybe this was the introduction written by Eleanor Roosevelt, but when I got another copy and read what Eleanor had written, it was not the same.
Does ANYONE know this quote? I find this one of the most meaningful things I have ever read ... just thinking about it moves me to tears. I would love to find the actual quote. I've googled and googled and can't seem to find it. Maybe it wasn't even in the book .. maybe I read it somewhere else.
To me this says so much. It says that truth triumphs power, ultimately. It's one of the most hopeful things I've ever read, and I turn to it again and again in my life. It says that a small, quiet voice telling the truth is, in the end, the most powerful thing in the world.
I think it has relevance to our situation now. We here at DailyKos and those who agree with us feel that no one is listening to us. We feel we are voices in the wilderness, warning our country about the hubris of the Bush administration and the religious right ... and no one is listening. The lies and blather of the right are drowning us out .. no matter what we say, no matter what wrongs we uncover, no matter how eloquently we present our position, it seems to make no difference.
But Anne Frank tells us we should persevere and keep SPEAKING THE TRUTH ... when the history of this era is written, our voices will be the ones that people listen to and hear .. not the blathering blowhards in the White House and Congress and the right-wing echo chamber. I think we should write as if we KNOW this will be so ... with a passion for the truth and a confidence that what we are saying is vitally important. It IS.