Momentum
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
I’ll be honest, last week was a hard one for me, as I struggled with a sense of self-doubt and lack of confidence that anything I was really doing through this platform was amounting to anything.
I think anyone outside of Myanmar can identify somewhat with this feeling, given the enormity of the horror unfolding before us and the limitations set on our own capacity.
But a day later, and a week following that, I have a very different feeling. Well, a lot happened in that week. The U.N. Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun defected on live television, in what some are calling one of the most powerful moments in the history of the United Nations. A day after that, a vipassana meditator from the S.N. Goenka living in Yangon felt encouraged to break his own silence and ask that we publish a series of his daily reflections. Because of this, a monk with some standing reached out one day after this, asking us to publish his own open letter. Still another day later, Burmese readers were so moved that they asked for it to be translated, and we did.
This bustle of activity had me start reflecting on the role of momentum. I suppose that I had been somewhat skeptical of this concept before, as I wondered how even the momentum of the entire world could do anything to successfully confront terrorists with weapons, when even Western governments were looking to sit this one out. But now I’m not so sure.
Kyaw Moe Tun would not have taken the risk he did at that time if not for the enormous momentum being generated this month by those both in and outside of Myanmar, online as well as in real life. His courageous action immediately put his family back home at risk, and so a space had to be created for him to take that step forward. Momentum did that.
This last week I’ve also seen the role that momentum has played within our humble platform, which ultimately led to a monk deciding he could be silent no longer. It continues on, as the monk’s letter will now create a ripple effect of momentum on its own, and will carry its influence into the Buddhist monkhood, an extremely important sector whose voice can be extremely impactful at this moment. (I should say our platform being able to play this role at all was only made possible by a month of donations which allowed me to focus on this effort exclusively, so this is another type of momentum as well, and if you believe in the value of what we’re doing, please consider supporting our work to continue.)
Every worker who refuses to go to the office because of CDM, every police officer who defects, every monastic who uses his moral authority in skillful ways, every celebrity or social influencer who shares this information to a wider platform… all of this is both responding to as well as creating more momentum. And I now realize, there is a tipping point this can eventually lead to… there is some point of no return where momentum can carry us, in which the coup will simply not work.
I don’t mean to be naive here and simplify the challenge facing us. Momentum is not a magic elixir that will erase this terror from our world. But without this momentum, the alternative is very clear, and this tiny crack of freedom will shut with a resounding thud. And the last time that happened, it wasn’t nudged open again for decades.
So I do have a renewed sense of purpose in seeing how this platform can contribute to the daily momentum being thrust forward by so many people with far more to lose than myself. And if any readers care about this land and these people and yet are feeling helpless, please keep this powerful role of momentum in mind. You might not see the clear effects of what you’re doing, but if your action is in any way contributing to the momentum of a people who will not be slaves again, then you are helping in one small way to project it down the road where it will continue to make space for others to take brave and bold actions they may not have otherwise. It can be as small as committing to check in on a Burmese friend every day, or as big as your time and volition allows.