What You Can Do Right Now for Myanmar

A month back, I wrote about how various forms spiritual bypass were subtly justifying a lack of engagement among a small number of meditators. After going into four detailed examples of how spiritual bypass was manifesting, I ended with the following line: “I understand that for some and perhaps many readers, the question is, “Okay, but what can I do from so far away?” However, this will require another long reflection, and so be on the lookout for an essay exploring this question in an upcoming blog post.”  I had intended to write that “upcoming blog post” much earlier, but unfortunately the Tatmadaw had other ideas, and there was simply no time to work on it until now. But finally, there’s a small window for me to get to it.  

First, I’d like to reprint one version of the general question, “So what can I do?”, that came to me from one reader just today:

Hi, I have a question to ask. The aftermath of the coup has been terrifying and the trauma exerted on the populace extreme to bear even for an outsider. Even though the turmoil is not over yet, how the people can heal mentally and emotionally from all these is a question constantly on my mind. How can an outsider like me help?

In addition to this kind of simple query, people often emphasize two distinct feelings when writing me: first, that of being helpless, in that they don’t feel there is much they can really do in the face of such terror; and second, guilt, for not being in the country, and wishing that they could be doing more. 

But these are really normal feelings. In the weeks following the outbreak of the coup, my own sense of horror was paralyzing and all-consuming, and I also had no real idea what I could possibly do from so far away. But as time went on, I gradually began to realize that those debilitating emotions were in fact quite unskillful, not to mention how completely unhelpful they were, practically speaking. This is how I came upon the surprising commonality shared between a meditator in a cave and a battlefield strategist: one has to accept reality how it is manifesting, not how one would like it to be. In other words, I needed to find a way to shift my thinking from being mired in the outside—in the horror of the daily news besieging us—to accepting the truth of what was occurring inside, and seeing my own response to it.  

At the time, I wrote: “As dark as the coming days will be, our resolve needs to be stronger. Meditation teaches us to accept reality as it is and find the best way to respond to those actual conditions that are manifesting. As troubling as it is to face this current reality, deeper acceptance of how things are strengthens the mind in allowing it to respond with wisdom... rather than staying with the aversion to those conditions happening to arise.”

Once I began to make that shift within, a surprising thing happened. With my mind now settling into a deeper acceptance of this dark reality, it was spending less time and energy recoiling in shock about what had happened, and fear about what could take place, and more focus on contemplating what I could do now that would be of value. And once I began focusing my mind in that direction, a funny thing happened: I realized there was more that I could do than I had originally imagined!  

As this transformation progressed, while my concern and sadness about what was happening were still there, the feelings of helplessness and guilt disappeared. I don't mean to suggest I was naïve enough to presume that my personal contribution would somehow transform the conflict and tip the balance towards the nonviolent movement. Rather, it was that I knew I was now doing everything in my power and ability, without leaving anything on the table, and a certain peace arose from truly knowing this.

So I can speak from experience when I tell others outside Myanmar at this moment, there is really no need to feel guilty or helpless at all now! Your care can manifest in meaningful actions that can have a real effect. At this moment, every single thing matters. As a recent podcast guest told me, “It is not a given that the Tatmadaw will lose. It is not a given that we will win or we will lose. It is not a given that they are this mighty Goliath that will be very hard to beat. So, I think at this point, we should not take any assumptions for granted.”

In other words, this is a story still being written, and regardless of what the so-called experts might like to tell you, it is one where there is no clear outcome. And while your singular action might not seem all so much in the grand scheme of things, when done in tandem with hundreds or perhaps thousands of others engaging in actions at the same time, it contributes to a certain momentum that becomes a real force on its own.

So don’t believe that your actions don’t matter, nor that they will not be meaningful. Don’t dwell on feelings of helpless or guilt, or get stuck in your unacceptance of the terror state that is still ongoing.

This brings us to the question that led off this post, “So what actions can we take, however small?” As a response, I have prepared a list of suggestions as to how the compassionate observer can become involved. However, I must say I am somewhat cautious in offering this, as I don’t want this list to be seen as a prescriptive list of possibilities, or limit others’ creativity. Additionally, there is no better or worse in this regard: how one chooses to engage depends on one’s availability, volition, capabilities, and level of involvement. So certain kinds of activities may be better suited for some individuals than others. These are simply some ideas I’ve come up with myself, and please message me to suggest additional ideas.

With that caveat, here are some ways I’ve found to be of service: 

·      Offer moral support. This is free, easy, and only takes a minute. When I ask Burmese friends how we can be of most assistance to them, this is consistently the first thing mentioned: just be a friend. If you have friends in Myanmar, write them every day to ask how they are doing, and let them know you care. And if you don’t have Burmese friends already, try to make some!

·      Stay informed. Bear witness to the horrors now taking place by reading news, listening to podcasts, subscribing to newsletters, etc. The step before one can truly help is to first understand the issue. And, once you have found news sources that you trust and find informative, share those with people in your network.

·      Volunteer. A variety of organizations have either become formed, or were already existing and transformed their mission in order to respond to this crisis, and many are seriously understaffed and overwhelmed by the workload. Write some of them and ask how you can help.

·      Contribute in-kind. If you’re an artist, consider contributing some pieces for an art auction, or simply produce and share your work. If you’re a lawyer or accountant, see if any nonprofits can use free advising. If you’re in tech, check out how your knowledge of anything from building websites to cyber security can be of use now. If you’re a meditation teacher, yoga instructor, or therapist, see how you can help people suffering with trauma. If you’re a carpenter, see how you can advise on shelters and other things that now need to be built. No matter who you are and what you do, I guarantee you that of your skills can find a proper use at this moment, no matter where you happen to be. Just as those Burmese on the ground have had to completely reinvent themselves to respond to the unfolding terror, so too can we. Message me or any other organization to tell them what you bring to the table.

·      Take action. Sign or create a petition, talk to your local representatives, join or organize a protest, reach out to local media. Unlike those in Myanmar now, you are blessed with a freedom to act and speak. Over there, journalists risk arrest, elected officials face detention, and protesters are in danger of being killed in broad daylight. Use your freedom to speak from a place of safety. 

·      Contribute financially. Of course, one gives what one can, and everyone has their own financial limitations. So if your capacity is less, consider how you can support the overall fundraising effort by eliciting your local community and online networks.

·      Send metta, thoughts, prayers, and good wishes. Direct your spiritual energy towards the pain and suffering that people in the Golden Land are now experiencing as often as possible.

So these are just some ideas, some small and some more involved.  As individuals, we won’t stop the Tatmadaw’s tanks or liberate the Burmese people.  But every little bit helps.

Concerning the topic of volunteering specifically, I also want to add a couple of points I recommend that you not do! Speaking as someone with a number of high intensity tasks every day, these are behaviors that can have the averse effect:

• If you feel you do sincerely want to volunteer, then really do it! Speaking from experience, coordinating with volunteers who begin with a level of high enthusiasm, but ultimately can’t or don’t follow through, is actually counterproductive, and does the organization a disservice by draining precious resources. So if you are thinking of signing up for something, whether big or small, please only follow through if you are committed to being reliable.

• If you have a great idea, act on it! One of my least favorite messages goes something like this “Hey, I had a great idea of what can be done. Why don’t you……..?” Giving advice to an organization already heavily engaged is really not that helpful at all, and just makes their life busier. To really help, let them know your idea, and then let them know what you will do to help implement it.

• Be independent. Some may not realize just how much effort it actually takes to manage volunteers, and when it becomes too high of a maintenance cost, the “help” they provide becomes offset with the time it takes to coordinate with them. So come in with a real sense of offering a service, and being able to complete it with minimal support from the organization.