Thoughts on "Living Uncertainly in Exile" commentary

I read "Living Uncertainly in Exile" commentary by Ko Aung Zaw with great interest. It gave me a chance to glimpse into the lives of exiles and their feelings. Though I am not very familiar with some of the prominent names mentioned in the commentary, I feel that 1988 uprising has actually claimed many extraordinary lives, which might otherwise have remained ordinary. In particular, I empathize with the students who fled to the border and the families who lost their children after the uprising. Staying true to their faith to free Burma, many students traded in their books and school uniform for revolution. For them, their personal dreams in life became secondary to the pursuit of freedom for Burma.

It has been almost twenty years of struggle since 1988 and Burma still remains as the "prisoner of the military junta". Many years of seeing only numerous sacrifices without tangible results, seem to have taken a toll on some or many of them [1]. Such pessimism also seems prevalent among many ordinary Burmese people.

However, with the "Saffron Revolution", we have proven once again that our desire to free Burma still remains strong in our hearts despite many sacrifices and struggles that we have had over the years. Therefore, I sincerely hope that everyone, regardless of being in exiled community or inside Burma or outside Burma, will always remember the "fallen stars" and the agony of the families who have lost their loved ones.

Let our hearts rekindle with optimism for Burma's freedom so that the sacrifices over the years will not be in vain.

References:
[1] Driving Burma - ko Si Thu's interview - http://www.thevarsity.ca/article/1453