Service - Anne Sullivan & Helen Keller

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"There is no higher purpose than service to others."
- Socrates (Peaceful warrior)


Note: Listen to this song and start reading ;)


"Helen Keller is one of the most remarkable persons born in the nineteenth century. She managed to overcome the double handicap of blindness and deafness, and to take an active part in the life of the world.

Of course, she could never have accomplished this alone. Just as remarkable as Miss Keller was her teacher, Anne Sullivan, the young woman who undertook to lead her out of the darkness and enable her to have a normal life.

The dark and silent world in which her brilliant mind was imprisoned became increasingly unbearable. It is no wonder that she later called the day Miss Sullivan came to be her teacher "the most important day in my life".

Nine months after learning her first word, Helen was able to write complete sentences in her letters. Seldom had a devoted teacher been so splendidly rewarded. It is true Helen Keller was an unusually gifted, eager pupil. But the accomplishment of releasing this child´s mind was Anne Sullivan´s.

As a result of the devotion of Anne Sullivan, Helen actually copied the unselfish service of her teacher and spent her busy life in the service of other handicapped people."

As I read the beautiful story of Helen Keller, I was pretty impressed about how she managed to develop a life-loving attitude although she lived in an imprisoned world, without being able to see and hear. In her biography Helen describes the beauty of simply touching flowers or feeling the warmth of the rays of the sun on her skin. Further on it is inspiring for us, who have the ability to see and hear, to appreciate our senses to the full extent.

The reason why Helen achieved all her educational goals and reached the highest academic heights was because of the great woman, her life long teacher and companion:
Anne Sullivan.

She simply dedicated her life to make the life of Helen better. She really understood, that by simply showing love, patience and compassion one can set free unknown territories in others. Even for a deaf-blind child like Helen !

The following excerpt from Helen Keller´s autobiography simply shows how beautiful and loving the service of Anne Sullivan was:

Miss Sullivan put her arm gently around me and spelled into my hand: I love Helen.
"What is love ?" I asked. She drew me closer to her and said, "It is here," pointing to my heart.

Her words puzzled me very much, because I did not understand anything at that time unless I touched it. I smelled the flowers in her hand and asked half in words and half in signs a question which meant, "Is love the sweet smells of flowers ?" "No," said my teacher.

I thought again. The warm sun was shining on us, and pointing in the direction from which the warmth came, I asked again, "Is this love ?".

I thought it was very strange that my teacher could not show me the meaning of love.
One day she came up with an answer:

"Love is something like the clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out. You can´t touch the clouds, you know, but you feel the rain and you know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. You can not touch love either, but you know the sweet feeling that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy or want to play."


This whole story shows me once again that love is the greatest power on this planet.

And at the end of her biography Helen mentions all the people that had an influence on her life. One of ´em was Bishop Brooks. She describes what she learned from him:

"Once when I was puzzled to know why there are so many religions, he said:

There is only one religion, Helen - the religion of love. Love God with your whole heart and soul, love the people in the world as much as you can, and remember that the possibilities of good are greater than the possibilities of evil.

There you have the key to heaven !"


Yours,
Martin