Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Aung San Suu Kyi....rightful leader of Burma

This is my artistic meditation after reflecting on the my post and link to the documentary on the aftermath of cyclone Nargis. The answer isn't political alone...but democracy is desperately needed in Burma and until the international community stands up to the illegitimate military Junta of Burma...true justice and peace are mere words.

5 comments:

Wes said...

Until there is a reason to assist in change, our government will do nothing. There are no natural resources that the U.S is interested in. It is not a stategic location to us. There are only people there. People of a different color and culture. So we do nothing. Let me ask you this... If the Burmese people were white do you think our government would be turning a blind eye? I don't. The U.S. only get's involved when we have something to gain or protect. If it isn't a "sexy" cause, our politicians won't go after it.... regardless of party affiliation. We pump millions of dollars every year into the causes that make the network news all the while ignoring the less "interesting" needs around the world... and at home. Did you know that over 60% of the children under the age of 14 in the Appalachia region of the US south are considered undernourished? Granted, that certainly doesn't compare to what's happening in Burma but is an example of the gross negligence displayed across the board by our elected officials.

Matt said...

I came across this review of a book by Czeslaw Milosz, The Captive Mind. Milosz is famous for saying that those who became dissidents were not necessarily those with the strongest minds, but rather those with the weakest stomachs. I'm not saying the Lady has a weak stomach, anyway interesting to read and think about:

One of the basic ideas put forward in Czeslaw Milosz' extraordinary, noble, and frightening book is that even the best-informed Westerners in reality know nothing about what goes on behind the Iron Curtain. They are fundamentally ignorant, not because of lack of factual data—on the contrary, there is a great abundance of such data—but due to failure of imagination. All the isolated facts we know would add up to worthwhile knowledge only if we were to perceive the unifying pattern behind them. For this, however, imagination would be needed, and nobody is able to imagine a reality totally different from the one in which he has lived all his life. Thus, being informed about some stark and salient facts about life in the East, the Westerner blunderingly tries to explain them with the help of concepts and categories familiar to him. The result is a naively distorted picture, and, above all, total inability to guess why and how the Eastern despotism succeeds in its projects of regimentation. This inability to pierce the secret of the enemy's strength is, of course, one of the most important ingredients of that strength. -Paul Kecskemeti

Unknown said...

I'm not sure if a western "mind" can't understand the injustice of a young woman being raped or a home being burned or a child missing a limb from a landmine or a gov shooting monks or imprisioning a comic for 50 years for taking pictures.

Oh and yes...I did work hard on the pic, thanks.

Wes said...

Sorry for posting rant under this article. I meant to post said rant under the one called "Eyes of the Storm".
FWIW, I like the pic. I wish I had a better "eye" for art but I know what I like & dislike. I like your stuff, Eric.

Matt said...

The picture is interesting, sorry not to comment on that. She is a fascinating lady, Burma is interesting and fascinating, complex and spellbinding... yes, spellbinding to us. Like watching a bike flying down a San Franciscan hill burling through stop signs and intersections. We are spellbound captives.