Unplayed Piano

Please use your liberty to help promote ours.

That quote is attributed to Aung San Suu Kyi. Last week, as we in USAmerica celebrated the anniversary of our freedom, she continued to be denied hers. This is not to make any of us feel guilty for ours, but to motivate ourselves that we must promote liberty for others.

She has been under house arrest off and on for the last 17 years. Her dad negotiated independence for Burma from the U.K. in 1947. With a degree from Oxford, she worked for the United Nations. She returned to Myanmar to care for her ailing mother. The country experienced political/military upheaval.

A student of Ghandhi's non-violence ideas, she entered politics to help bring freedom to her people. She was first place under house arrest in 1989 and was offered freedom if she left the country. She refused.

After winning the Nobel Peace Prize years later, she used the 1.3 million prize money to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people.

She has been under house arrest off an on during this time. The term was set to expire May 27, 2006, but the Burmese government extended it for another year. There have been reports that she was hospitalized on June 9 of this year for severe diarrhea and weakness. She turned 61 ten days later.

More quotes from her...

It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.

The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.

I think by now I have made it fairly clear that I am not very happy with the word "hope." I don't believe in people just hoping. We work for what we want. I always say that one has no right to hope without endeavor...

So what can we do?

Pray. Talk about it. Use your liberty to promote hers.

And go here for more information and how you can help.

Several years ago U2 wrote a song, Walk On, about her.

Recently, Damien Rice released a beautiful single with the proceeds going to the Burma Campaign. You can find the song at iTunes. They also have a different video. (Performance mixed with video of Aung San Suu Kyi.)