On June 11, 1963, at a busy Saigon intersection, a protest like none ever witnessed was taking place. There were no picket signs, there were no scripted chants, there were no hurling cans of tear gas and there were no trigger happy police officers... There was simply a small gas can, a single match, and a fury of flames.
Sitting silently within the flames was Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist Monk. His self-immolation was in protest of the oppressive Diem government towards Buddhist priests and the Buddhist community…
Sitting silently within the flames was Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist Monk. His self-immolation was in protest of the oppressive Diem government towards Buddhist priests and the Buddhist community…
I have always been intrigued with the story of "The Burning Monk". I've spent hours trying to comprehend what would drive someone to do something so horrific? … What fueled such an act?
Though as complex and bizarre the subject, you might find the answer to be quite simple. It is ones hope, ones beliefs, and ones passion... It was in fact, Thich Quang Duc's passion for his cause, his belief in religious equality and hope for his fellow oppressed monks which led to such an act.
However, to truly grasp his motive, I had to ask myself; What in my life do I feel so strongly and so fervent about? What in life could drive me to such an extreme protest? It was at that point that I really began to understand. I now could easily relate my animal rights/liberation crux to Thich Quang Duc's plight... My belief that animals exist for their own purpose. My hope for all animals to be free of the abuse and oppression inflicted upon them by humans. My passion to fight for the animals, their rights and their freedom.
I then had to ask myself; Would I go to the same extent as the burning monk for my beliefs? Am I that passionate in my cause? Could I, or better yet, would I sacrifice myself in such a way for helpless suffering animals?
This led me to ponder the "What ifs"...
What if my self-immolation guaranteed no more slaughtering of animals for food and clothing, no more maiming and murdering in the name of science, no more chains of slavery for entertainment and profit. What if it meant total abolishment of all animal cruelty. What if it guaranteed that animals worldwide could live in peace, harmony and freedom...
For the sake of animals, would I do so? .... In all honesty, yes... If it would make this world would be a better place for animals to exist, then I have no doubt that I would do so...
But unfortunately, in a world overpopulated with human greed and apathy, those "what ifs" are far from the reality of what so many animals endure everyday, Moreover, in a world saturated with such ignorance, the many acts of selflessness and kindness toward our animals friends often go unseen or ridiculed. With that being said, I would most likely go down as some "whacked-out animal rights weirdo", who set herself ablaze in the name of animal liberation...
So for now, in a world were properties and profits are valued more than ones life, perhaps then the fires of justice are best left to blaze those fore-mentioned inanimates of the apathetic...
But unfortunately, in a world overpopulated with human greed and apathy, those "what ifs" are far from the reality of what so many animals endure everyday, Moreover, in a world saturated with such ignorance, the many acts of selflessness and kindness toward our animals friends often go unseen or ridiculed. With that being said, I would most likely go down as some "whacked-out animal rights weirdo", who set herself ablaze in the name of animal liberation...
So for now, in a world were properties and profits are valued more than ones life, perhaps then the fires of justice are best left to blaze those fore-mentioned inanimates of the apathetic...
