So Madeleine, was it a revolution?

     This time every year, I tend to get swamped with requests for information about White Rose resistance from high school students who are just beginning their National History Day projects. No matter the annual theme, White Rose usually shows up as a favorite topic. It truly is that good a story.
     Too often those requests for information have come in the form of, Hey, I am doing a National History Day project, so tell me everything you know about the White Rose. It can be a little frustrating when students expect to gain knowledge without expending any effort.
     This year, the inquiries have been refreshingly different. Out of six initial emails, three teams have stayed with it, asking intelligent questions that prove they've already done a fair amount of homework and are prepared to do more.
     My first phone interview was with a young woman named Madeleine Poisson. Part interview, part conversation, the exchange encouraged me on several levels. First, Madeleine wasn't looking for easy answers. She was ready to think about complex questions beyond the basic plot-line of White Rose actions. She's thinking about motivation and relevance of specific incidents (trying not to give away her project, since it is a competition).
     Madeleine asked, and followed up on, the notion of White Rose as revolution. This year's National History Day theme is Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History, so it's a fair question, indeed, a question one would expect in the context of NHD. But she pursued it. Madeleine, this is the longer answer I promised during the interview.

Cornucopia of life

     When considering the consequences of informed dissent and civil disobedience, we tend to focus on "Big Events" and the negative aspects of such actions. The beheadings. The imprisonments. The public ridicule. The loss of friends, the betrayal of family. The condemnation by a society unworthy of true patriotism and unfettered integrity.
     And indeed, the sacrifice is great.
     But it is only half the story, only one side of the coin.
     When a person takes a difficult stand for what is right, for what is noble, he may lose friends, she may forfeit status in her community, he may feel isolated, she may wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to go along. Some who are driven by ethics and honesty may even lose their lives, money, and assets.