Asleep!

Min Khin Kyaw

Would Burma ever get peace? Even after the military regime is toppled? Ever become peaceful?

Made of 103 ethnics, a small land nowadays called Burma, with different names in dispute, has never been really peaceful. Peace comes and peace goes; never staying long. Although generous and peace-loving, Burma has been a war-torn land. But all the reasons are about the rulers, leaders and now dictators.

The reality is Burma has had only a small handful of good leaders. The rest are craps. And obviously we still are in the ruling of such craps and Burma is traumatized. The country has failed to produce the great minds but more craps as leaders. The glaring truth is we don’t have enough good leaders – yes, we have a few good-enough leaders. We need good-enough leaders at every level of age and that is not happening – due to what?

We ‘Burmese’ people know a lot but not being able to start implementing our knowledge. We don’t have a ‘ground and fertilizer’ to grow our leadership seeds. Yes, youths as they have shown they’re being good seeds for leadership, they are silent in the noises and shady environment.

Yes, there are experienced leaders with a strong moral and ‘bright intellectual control’.

By summing these conditions, Burma can be fine if these people ever gain the ground of power and be able to hold it for long to be able to nurture the natural leaders.

Defining the ground and fertilizer to grow leadership is not quite easy though. Yet, through busy lifestyles, I hope young people would pay more attention on the politics and freedom of all people. And I hope more chances for them in education; and ideas on how they can work together around the world would become more obvious. I just hope they get more supports and empowerments from all those concerned people who have the conditions to make that happen.

As I’ve thought through revolutions, I found some types of hopelessness in the third world politics –we are also a part of it. As thinking about revolution of Burma, I wonder how the civil war was needed and could have ended. ‘How Ne Win cheated the ethnic leaders’ and killed them just appeared into my mind. Obviously Ne Win needed civil war so he had all reasons to control the army and made himself the saviour; and this is a glaring point – a very serious point. I want it being considered by all seriously. All along the past few decades, since Ne Win came to power, civil war has had only that reason – but the ethnic armed forces have seemed to have sincere reasons, better reasons, for fighting.

With such a painful truth of deceit, civil wars have been fuelled. The result is the reality of the grass in the battle field of two buffalos raging. The youths are being fed into the mouth of war. The country has been crippled economically, culturally and affectively for the war mongers. That’s how the war for war sake and the beneficiaries.

I have been outraged and disappointed in that truth for years. And I was fed into it too as I am from Burma.

With this condition of intellectuality, our country can produce, what is our future? Would ‘Burma’ be ever peaceful?

How long are we going to live in their lies?

Now I find new leaders here and there. I wish they all see the reality as it is.

Moreover, the group mindset of our people is seriously critical. That group mindset is the real culprit why so long our leaders have dwelled in lies. That group mindset, probably a little different by culture, is what will determine the future of Burma. That is how I wonder if these differences could be removed and make all 103 ethnics to live RESPONSIBLY together.

Whilst the ethnics hate a certain king of the Burmans, like U Aung Ze Ya, the Burmans have praised him everlastingly. Who was U Aung Ze Ya? Who was that killed lots of lots of people, Buddhist monks, destroyed culturally sensitive pagodas? Genocide is not introduced to Burma; it’s homemade of Burma. And what now? The type of king they praised is followed by currently evil military generals and their appraisals have severely backfired on them. They have now got the type of king they have praised and ironically they cannot accept such kind of a king either, whilst they cannot stop praising the kings like U Aung Ze Ya.

But can we ever really come together, forgive, forget and make the differences agreeable? At least for coming generations? At least should we wake up ourselves for once?

I just wonder if revolutions are funny and just vain. If you think not, can you argue how the victory on the current military dictators will last? Well, what I can say is – if we have the gullible leaders, if Burma can only produce gullible leaders, then only cheaters will be on powers. Unless we can change now, I don’t expect Burma will change later.