May 29. Thursday - Aung San Suu Kyi

The Great Turning by Jim Rose-Foreman 2007

When I sat down to write today I came up with four possible topics that had been swimming around in my head for the last few days. Three of these topics are up close and personal so to speak and the fourth seems like it is a million miles away. But I just can't stop thinking about this distant issue. It is not only on my mind, it is in my heart. So that' where I am going to go. We'll see where it takes us.

This is the story of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese prisoner of conscience and leader of the pro-democracy movement in Burma. Last week she was moved again from house arrest to prison where she is being tried unjustly for allegedly violating the rules of her house arrest. I have been thinking of her and what her life and struggle means to all of us.

I am sure you have heard the recent news of her arrest after a US citizen swam across the lake avoiding government security and came to her home to deliver the message he claims comes from God, namely that she was in danger of being killed by terrorists. I also read that he gave her The Book of Mormon. She allowed him to stay 2 nights due to his exhaustion after the swim. For this she was taken into custody by the military government forces and moved to prison.

I did a little research on the net to refresh my memory on the events of this amazing woman's life. Her father was a Burmese freedom fighter who was assassinated in 1947 when she was just two years old. She grew up in Rangoon and then graduated from college in India. She went on to graduate school in political science in the UK where she married and had two sons. In 1988 she returned to Burma to care for her aging mother and was pulled into the pro-democracy movement as their spokesperson. Initially this was probably due to the popularity of her father who was still remembered by the Burmese people. But soon it was discovered that Aung San Suu Kyi was an intelligent, articulate and passionate champion of democracy in her own right.

In 1990 the Burmese military government unwisely called for an election. The National League for Democracy won a decisive victory with the very popular Aung San Suu Kyi as the candidate for Prime Minister. After the election the military regime refused to give up power and she was arrested and placed in house arrest. She has been either in house arrest or in prison for 13 of the last 19 years.

During her first arrest she was awarded the Sakarrov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. For all of these years of detention Aung San Suu Kyi has not been able to talk with reporters or have any visitors except as infrequently approved by her captors. She lives with her two maids and receives visits only from her doctor. Recently her health has deteriorated with signs of dehydration and weakness. Her supporters are very concerned over these serious health problems.

Aung San Suu Kyi is a practitioner of Theravadan Buddhism. She was very influenced by the non-violent reform movement of Mahatma Gandhi in India and of course more generally by the concepts of Buddhism. Despite being hidden away she remains the inspiration of the pro-democracy movement in Burma as well as of many people working for justice around the world. This woman is an amazing model of selflessness. The military government has offered to free her if she would leave the country. She refuses. She used the 1.3 million dollar Nobel Peace Prize money to set up a health care and education fund for Burmese children. Incidentally in my research I learned that because of government underfunding, the quality of health care for the people of Burma is among the worst in the world.

This woman has dedicated her life to the freedom and well-being of her people. Now it looks like she may be imprisoned again for up to five years. Given her poor health and the reportedly horrendous conditions of the Insein Prison, she could die there. Aung San Suu Kyi has sacrificed dearly. Her husband died of cancer at age 53 in 1999. They were only allowed to see each other five times in the last 10 years of his life. Her sons who live in the UK are not allowed to see their mother at all. It's easy to admire her. Just thinking about her courage and perseverance makes my heart softer.

I wonder if she ever thinks about how her life could have been, if she ever regrets her choices. Of course I don't have any way of knowing, but it seems that people who have made big sacrifices for the good of others seem to know that their little life is part of something so much bigger than they are. I wonder what I can learn from her. How can I go beyond admiration. It is hard to remember, when in the throes of heroine worship, that my small life too is part of a bigger picture. I will probably never be called on to do what she has done. But I think we are all called upon to do something - to speak out for people who cannot speak for themselves or to put ourselves on the line in some way.

Yesterday I went to the board meeting of The Carroll Electric Company with about 150 other people to protest the use of herbicides. This small action seems pretty inconsequential in the big scheme of things. But that's not true. It isn't inconsequential at all. There are millions of people around the world working in big and little ways, doing whatever needs to be done to accomplish what Joanna Macy calls, "The Great Turning".

To educate yourself about the power of individual and collective contribution I would recommend a mind expanding book by Paul Hawken entitled, Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and WHY NO ONE SAW IT COMING. A quote from the book jacket tells our story.

The dawn of the twenty-first century has witnessed two remarkable developments in our history: the appearance of systemic problems that are genuinely global in scope, and the growth of a worldwide movement that is determined to heal the wounds of the earth with the force of passion, dedication and collective intelligence and wisdom. Across the planet groups ranging from ad hoc neighborhood associations to well-funded international organizations are confronting issues like the destruction of the environment, the abuses of free-market fundamentalism, social justice and the loss of indigenous cultures. They share no orthodoxy or unifying ideology; they follow no single charismatic leader; they remain supple enough to coalesce easily into larger networks to achieve their goals. While they are mostly unrecognized by politicians and the media, they are bringing about what may some day be judged the single most profound transformation of human society.

That's us!

Aung San Suu Kyi is not just an individual. She represents all of us across the planet who are working toward a world of justice and peace. We need to support her in any way we can. If you click on her name it will take you to a petition asking for her immediate release. We also need to support each other in making our smaller contributions. I am going to think about how I can do that. It is good that I can care deeply for this amazing woman far away in Burma. But I also want to care as much and offer my heartful support and join people who are working toward freedom and justice in smaller ways right here and now in my own sphere of life. Isn't it funny? When I started writing I thought I had chosen the topic that was farthest from home but here it ends up right on my lap.

(Note: Aung San Suu Kyi is the woman at the left hand bottom corner of Jim's painting. Do you recognize the others?)