Some of you may have heard about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's recent release from house arrest. This week, she was reunited with one of her sons. This story really touched me. It was something that one might easily dismiss as just a nice, feel-good story, but for me it was much more than that. It shook me and made me ask myself some tough questions about myself and about my journey in life as a woman.
First, I wondered how much conviction must this woman have had to stand up for what she believes in-for her dream-in the face of seemingly insurmountable opposition? She was a prisoner in her own home, cut off from friends, her work, her children. Her husband was dying of cancer and could not enter the country to see her and she refused to leave for fear that the Burmese government would not allow her re-entry (thus, halting her work there). Her son had become a man while she was imprisoned---she missed so much. I thought, "Could I ever make that kind of sacrifice?" I do not believe that I have found a vision or dream for the future of the world that has caused me to want to put the needs of my husband and son aside. Sure, she could see that her sacrifice, in the long run, does serve her family well in that it may make the world they live in better, but I wonder if she has regrets.
Another question that came to my mind was should I have a vision for the world that I am that dedicated to--one that would require me forfeiting my family for the greater good? It is something really, really hard for me to see, at least at this point in life, that there is something more important than my family. Is that because I am short-sighted or is loving and caring for my family enough of a service to the greater good? It does seem as though some people are born to be revolutionaries of the world and others are not. I wonder if that is so. Maybe everyone was born to be a revolutionary but some never encounter the experiences required to develop sight beyond what is right in front of them.
Tough questions. I stared at the picture of Suu Kiu and her son for a long time. I tried to read what was in her eyes. To me, I saw great strength, but also a twinge of sadness there. I wonder how many times, while cut off from the rest of the world for all those years, she wondered to herself...Is it worth it? Is it worth all the sacrifice, will it amount to any significant change? Then, I thought of Spartacus, Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, Nelson Mandela....the Beatles:). How many times did they question whether or not what they were doing was really worth it, whether or not it would matter? And, what would our world look like if they had stopped there?
Finally, I wondered if I was asking myself all the wrong questions. Should what Suu Kyi has done even be considered a sacrifice if it is something that she wholeheartedly believed in? She does not even see it as such. In her own words, she basically said it is not a sacrifice for her...it is a choice. She chose it for herself. Everyone chooses for themselves what matters. Was she really casting the needs of her family aside? Did her family even NEED HER to be present by their side? Every person is different, every family functions differently. What if what Suu Kyi chose WAS the best choice for her family. Her sons might even be stronger, healthier, more independent, compassionate people because of her choice? Who is to say that it is not so? I think Suu-Kyi is right. We all make our own choices, as difficult as they may be, and must be ready to own whatever consequences (beneficial or non-beneficial) may result from those choices. I think she has taken full responsibility for the consequences of her choice and that, being the rarity it is these days, is worthy of ANOTHER Nobel Prize.
