The good we do

We have wanted to write a blog post about goodness for some time. We have also wanted to write a post about our identity, who and what we really are. Last week gave us the inspiration we needed to try to write. I (John) attended the leaving party of Dave Ashton, the Head of Practice at the NHS Leadership Academy. It was a real joy to join many good colleagues including Dave Thornton. The evening was a toast to Dave on his retirement and a recollection of his unique qualities and presence. I have met a number of people who work or who have worked with Dave. The constant appellation used by them in connection to Dave is the word "good." Phrases such a "such a good man" and 'good people like Dave' pepper the conversations. The same word is used unfailingly of Yvonne Coghill of the Academy too. There is clearly something about Dave and Yvonne that touches, connects and inspires others. The people who have used this appellation come from different levels of the NHS and some don't even know each other.  I sat at the event and heard tribute after tribute to a kind, warm and wise man who had made such an impression on so many.

Goodness is an incredible power. It lifts and lights us up when we are not in a good place. True goodness never makes us feel little, inferior or ashamed. It rather illumines what we are and can be at our best. It draws us to a dimension of being where we know that we are good and can be even better. A dazzling witness to the fragrance of goodness is Anne Frank the young Jewish girl arrested by the Nazis. 60 years ago this month she was arrested by the occupying Nazis in Amsterdam. She died the following year in the camp at Belsen.

Anne Frank in the midst of the darkness that Nazism was holds out a message of what we are all called to be. Anne was an ordinary girl who offers a voice for what really matters. She writes that, "In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." This amazing statement should give us hope that all can change and that there is, in the darkest heart, a good spark. That flicker can become a flame and that flame, the light of possibility. Anne actually gives us a living guide in her words to life and a better world. They are a charter for goodness despite the darkness. We will share a selection here.

Anne speaks of "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." Yes - we don't need a degree or permission. We can start right now where we are. One of the most beautiful services in Leeds is PAFRAS ( Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers ). It started when one generous person opened up her car boot to give our clothing, food and help to the most destitute. Today it is a thriving and caring service in the city. Right where we are is the place our positive passions and hopes can start to be realised. Anne describes this, "Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands."

Anne teaches us that in the darkness we mustn't give into its grip and power. She talks of how her own principles were challenged. She writes "It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." Her hope was grounded on the fact that good exists in all and who knows when that good will start to flow and happen. She wrote that "Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.”

Anne also knew how this approach illumines the world. "Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness." The single candle of a good human candle can shine and bring light to many. This light doesn't burn solely for itself but for others. She knew how goodness is infectious and once started is like a mighty wave. "Whoever is happy will make others happy" she writes in her diary.

Anne's focus on goodness was aligned to kindness. Her words are "In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” This 14 year old girl going through such a nightmare was possessed no doubt of a deep wisdom. She found her joy in the beautiful things of life. "I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains."  Anne mentions her death. "I don't want to have lived in vain like most people. I want to be useful or bring enjoyment to all people, even those I've never met. I want to go on living even after my death!'' And this has happened. A young girl living in an encroaching darkness speaks words of goodness, kindness and light - words that help us along on our daily path today. A child teaches us out of her wisdom what we should know but often don't.

Anne possessed a deep awareness of life, beauty and goodness. This was, we believe, her deep identity; her true self. Goodness is that heart that warms and cheers another. It's those words, actions and even looks actions that connect us and touch us. People like Dave and Yvonne shine with this.

Anne Franks' experience in Amsterdam seems a long time ago. Yet its message burns brightly whenever someone, despite the problems, reaches out to love, care and do good. Out of such actions the hope of a better tomorrow will come and it is those who do so who really make history. It tells us that goodness is our true identity. To fully live is to be fully good. That's the promise what Anne's message offers. It's a clear and bright message to a world that often seems so very lost. It's incredible that in the midst of a system that stood for destruction she pointed to goodness.

John Walsh. York Street Health Practice. Leeds Community Healthcare.

Lisa Falkingham. Service Improvement Team, Leeds Community Healthcare