On June 12th, 1929, Annelies Marie Frank was born in Frankfurt Germany. Her parents, Edith and Otto Frank were average Jewish citizens. They lived a normal life in Germany until the Nazi party gained control over the country. Later, the family moved to Amsterdam to evade the Nazis. Annelies (Anne) went to school for as long as she was allowed.
After the Nazi party continued to gain control during World War II, the family went into hiding for over two years. The family stayed in an attic and survived by eating food rations and staying quiet. Meanwhile, Anne wrote about her experience while hiding in the attic. Eventually, they were discovered by the police and taken to concentration camps.
Sadly, Anne and her sister Margot passed away in a concentration camp a few months after they were captured. Anne was around 15 years old and her sister Margot around 18 or 19. Anne’s Father Otto was the only one who survived the camp. When he returned to Amsterdam after the war, he discovered Anne’s diary and the stories she left behind. After reading her writings, he decided to fulfill Anne’s dream of becoming a writer and had her diary published.
Anne Frank’s tragic experience has become a symbol of the one million+ Jewish children who died during the Holocaust. A girl that was once considered "normal", gives a voice to the lost children of World War II and now draws millions of people to remember the haunting events of the past.
Like Anne, many of us would consider ourselves “normal” people. We may not hold seats of power, but anyone has the potential to make a difference in the world and be an influence. Where there are needs, injustices, or inequities, it’s people like you and me, that need to bring solutions and help solve those problems.
Be an informed citizen
Making a difference starts with understanding the world around us. As citizens, we can do better by learning the truth, not sound-bites —snippets of the full story. We can also be more open to other opinions, become better listeners, and be curious about other people.
Other people have experiences that are different from ours. They can help us understand the world from a different perspective. When we focus on understanding others, we can have more meaningful and reasonable conversations. This helps us become better-informed. We can't truly be informed if our perspective is one-sided.
Be different
Rick Warren said, “You can only make a difference by being different.” Doing the same things as others or the same things that you have done before can only create the same results. To change the world, you must do something different than everyone else.
Anyone can be a force for positive change but it takes stepping out of the comfort zone to do it. Most of us like to stay in our comfort zone because it’s risky and that risk can make us feel… a little anxious. However, the problem with avoiding risk is that we get nowhere. We can’t make progress or change without some amount of risk. Tom Peters, a writer, and business management consultant says, “Unless you walk out into the unknown, the odds of making a profound difference in your life are pretty low.” This is true in business and in life.
Find out who you can help
So where do we start? How do we become agents of change in the world? If you live anywhere near people, there is probably someone close that needs help. In the process of becoming more informed, we often learn about people that need help. There are many people who have needs. For example, there are needs for visits to the elderly, a place for the homeless to get a hot meal, blood donations for the sick, or an important story that needs to be shared.
Be the solution
There are many problems that exist in the world. For a problem to be solved, someone must be willing to create a solution that solves that problem. Again, it takes someone stepping into the unknown to do something different. It starts with “normal” people willing to give something of themselves in pursuit of making the world better.