Prologue to Burmese Sunrise

Who controls the past controls the future:
Who controls the present controls the past
(Nineteen Eighty-Four)

In the modern age of the internet and the mass movement of people, can a country truly isolate itself from the forward momentum of the global zeitgeist? No. That is why Burma is rising. After 50 years living in the shadows of a brutal and oppressive military dictatorship that controls every facet of life (from the way you think to who your friends are), the people, led by Burma’s most revered and respected citizens; the monks, are beginning to find their voice.

The United States pretends to lead the international fervour to condemn the military autocracy; yet China and India (both regional powers) remain conspicuous by their silence; instead treating the whole thing as a Burmese affair and not something for the international community to meddle in.

The whole thing stinks to high-heaven. America pretends to champion democracy when it has toppled and undermined democratically elected governments all over the world. I’ll give an example: Venezuela. The people chose Chavez to lead them. He began a process of empowering the down-trodden to the chagrin of the elite and the Americans (grown corpulent with petrodollars). So what did they do? What they do best when somebody refuses to play ball – they tried to get rid of him! (but mercifully failed because the proletariat masses rose in revolt - people power in action)

So am I surprised when the United States cries democracy in Burma? Well actually No. And this is why:

India is the beneficiary of cheap natural gas from Burma to fuel its burgeoning economy. So it prefers to remain dignified and silent to Burma's plight – lest a new government decides to switch off the gas supply. China has been given huge contracts, in affect carte blanche to mine and exploit the countries natural resources. An example of the Generals acting on behalf of the nation’s 50 million citizens who incidently won’t see a penny of it. Burmese leaders have in effect mortgaged the country to another country. The Americans may receive some of these lucrative contracts if the elite are toppled and a democracy installed. They’d love to go in with tanks and guns to ‘democrucify’ but can’t on account of China’s influence.

Can you smell something? I can. I can smell the stink of human greed, treachery, self-interest, selfishness and out-right hypocrisy.

Humans are, in light of my considerable expertise on the matter (!), cowardly, treacherous, selfish, capricious and dishonest morons and I’m embarrassed to be one of them! Is there anyway, I wonder aloud, I can make void my status as a ‘national’ of the human stain?

The only good humans are the little one’s; the children. For they have not yet caught the cancer of adulthood! Am I being harsh? Fucking right I am. Why do people make life so unduly complicated anyway? The politics of relationships, the petty bickering of families, the back-stabbing and lies of politicians, the lie of religion, the boringness of social customs, the pretense of charity, the psychopathic greed of corporations.

Wouldn’t it be just wonderful if you could just light out and fade away to some place far from boring people and live like a hermit with nothing to bother you; in a little hut somewhere with a field of spuds and carrots and spend the nights whistling love poems to the stars! Mmm...Away from the scheming and dunce opinions of stupid ignoramuses!

Thank you for reading my rant.

By: A stinky, selfish, human being. But not boring!

Read ‘Burmese Days’
Read Orwell