Burma and the Alien

Judi Gomez
Sydney - Australia
1 January 2008

Three months ago I was very relaxed following my spiritual path where I created my sweet pinky world, where nothing could upset me, no one could touch me either, I was free living in my happy world. Then suddenly the news started throwing gruesome pictures of our dearest Monks. What was that? Where was that? Why is it happening?

As a westerner I was to view the pictures and toss the images out of my mind, I just could not because as a human being I belong to a wide community known as the world, I simply could not stand aside and become conveniently blind. Two days of pictures were enough to graduate as an activist for the first time in my life.

I knew nothing about Burma and through a petition against the Singaporean death penalty I found out the highlights of the unreasonable imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2001. It all came out to the open with the Monks’ protests, it all started making sense, Burma decided to let the world know that she existed.

The corruption, the fabrications from the government, the lies covering up something that was at clear view to the world is very difficult to ignore and it is a vicious cycle people in Burma has accepted for years.

Blogging on Burma rised very quickly in the past months, every Burmese wanted to tell their story, every blogger wanted to air their anger, their pains, they wanted to exposed the croonies, etc. Feelings were and still are alive but those feelings are negative feelings towards the government, what else is expected from Burmeses forced to live in exile? While fear is chronic inside Burma, vengeance is stronger outside Burma, and it is justifiable.

The government is very sharp controlling its people. Psychology is used and emotional blackmail is applied to turn citizens into instruments towards the benefit of the very few “generals” enjoying power. People are spendable in Burma, even the ones in white shirts will become disposable eventually.

People are not able to make their own decisions. They are fed ideas and manipulations. They simply have no choice if they want to stay alive. And then, what guarantees the government provides them that the people will be allowed to survive in peace?

Fear not only exists inside Burma, it was carried out into exile as well… How can people heal and learn to trust themselves? How can people in exile learn to relax? How can the ones in exile learn to be themselves again? The ones in exile may be living a much better lifestyle compared to the ones left behind, but they are not free either. For many, it is not easy to live abroad with different customs, without a language.

What does it take to gain courage? How to gain confidence in self again? How to step out of the secret world in confidence? How to trust that kind hand offering help?

The government has made a good job indoctrinating people “not to trust” anybody and people has accepted the manipulative ideas as true. It is for this reason that we must create unity in the outside to encourage the ones in the inside.

I belong to a wonderful world and I am part of a large community. These days geography has become part of our imagination, as we are just an email or a phone call away. I belong, I eat, I breathe, I walk, I smile the same way as Burmese people do.

The international community is there. They are happy to help out but they must be accepted as they are. They want to share the pains, the joys and for the triumphant freedom we are to achieve soon, we just have to integrate and work as one.

We all make choices in life. We choose to live, to smile, to eat, to be better beings. We choose our feelings as well and it is at that very minute we make a choice that we must stick to that decision and move forward. If we make a mistake with our choice then, we learn from that choice, correct it or modify it and try again and again until we succeed.

Beliefs

Every human being enjoys a collection of beliefs… whatever those beliefs are they are personals and no one can force anybody to change those beliefs.

I strongly believe that Burma IS Free soon… when I think about it I feel it, I enjoy the few minutes and I am thankful that I have come across few Burmese that feel the same way as I do. It has nothing to do with the present reality of Burma. I simply focus on what I want, and as the owner of my belief I clutch to it. As along as I believe it, it will become true to me. If I waste away time worrying about something I cannot solve then I’ll be blocking my progress.

I find that believing in Burma’s freedom is important. If people do not believe it will happen then, they should move aside and allow the believers to continue with their work. There should be respect for peoples’ viewpoints.

Values

We all have a personal value. We all were born with human rights. Just because some are more privileged than others it does not diminish the value of the person. People should be seen for who they are; loving, caring, helpful, respectful, opposite to privileges that provide them a place in society. Of course many inside Burma are the whos we prefer in another dimension.

In the past weeks I have noticed a shift in our bloggers’ attitudes. I am thankful and happy for those changes.

I am very thankful for Burma’s pain, as it has changed me. It has helped me to grow stronger. The lives of Monks and Civilians lost in the past three months should be honored and we should gain strength from their sacrifice.

Remarks:
As a strong supporter of freedom for Burma movement, Judi shares her views on Burma from the eyes of a non-burmese.