This Tuesday, Aung San Suu Kyi is coming to speak in Fort Wayne.
Suu Kyi became a personal hero of mine when I found out as a child that she was the inspiration behind the song “Walk On” by U2 and then learned of her amazing story.
Aung San Suu Kyi was born in what was then called Rangoon, Burma, in 1945. Her father, assassinated when she was only 2 years old, was a renowned democracy activist, and her mother was a nurse.
As Suu Kyi grew, she led a global life, attending schools in India, Great Britain and the United States, eventually marrying British professor Michael Aris. She had two sons with him and lived a peaceful, comfortable life in Oxford, U.K.
Suu Kyi’s life changed in 1988 when her mother fell ill and she returned to Burma, today referred to by the ruling government as “Myanmar,” to remain by her mother’s side.
While there, she saw the unfair conditions under which the Burmese were living: The country was rife with suppression of free speech and human rights abuses. Suu Kyi, having always remained loyal to her birth country, became a new symbol of freedom and hope for the Burmese people. Eventually, she was placed under house arrest for almost 19 years.
The magnitude of the sacrifices Suu Kyi made during her detainment is almost incomprehensible to me. She missed the growth of her sons. She was unable to be by her husband’s side at his death. She missed the ceremony in which she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
And yet throughout it all, she remained steadfast and kept her ideals at the forefront of her existence. Even when the ruling junta repeatedly offered her freedom in exchange for her retirement, she stood fast.
As Bono sings in “Walk On,” she could have “flown away, a singing bird in an open cage.” But she endured, and now Myanmar is undergoing extensive democratic reforms. Hundreds of political prisoners have been freed, peaceful demonstrations have been legalized, and free and fair elections are slated.
Such selfless resilience is rarely seen in our world.
As I look forward to skipping classes on Tuesday to see her, I reflect on how Suu Kyi’s story has shaped me since I heard it as a kid.
I plan to never stop traveling, reading, writing and learning. Social justice is one of my greatest passions, and while my post-graduation plans are currently undetermined, I know that they will involve public service and furthering of the greater good.
Although Suu Kyi isn’t solely responsible for these goals, she has played a pivotal role in shaping them.
Kyi proves that you have the ability to affect people by simply standing for what is right.
You can inspire those around you to live with integrity as well, whether your audience be a circle of friends, a classroom of children or just the guy sitting next to you on your daily ride on the X bus.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the woman with humble courage and flowers in her hair, might be a rarity in our time, but her story illustrates a simple truth: That through our actions, every one of us has the ability to become a hero.
— kabeasle@indiana.edu
