In Praise of Freedom from Fear

In Praise of Freedom from Fear

Saww Oo Swarr

First of all we have to consider what fear really is. Then we must become aware of the repercussions of having fear in our hearts. For, our hearts play a determining role for the good or bad of our future path in our long journey towards ultimate liberation. Knowledge and intelligence are requisites for proper way of life. That no one can deny. But it is wisdom that is the epitome of all human endeavors. In the final stages it is wisdom that liberates, once and for all, mankind from all possible fetters there could be against humanity. However human wisdom goes hand in hand with human heart. A heartless wisdom is obviously unimaginable. Even obnoxious. Nay! A heartless wisdom is anathema to dignity and existence. Wisdom and heart must go hand in hand. This is how human nobility is construed. This article deals with the heart part of human nobility.
Now we may return to musings about fear.

Courage and fear are binary aspects of the human heart. They are antagonistic in their propensities – always trying to do away with the other. When one plays dominant the other lays submissive.

Courage alone is man’s true possession. Man is born with courage. Man becomes man out of courage. Courage is natural to man. Fear, on the other hand, is an acquired habit – not a natural trait of man. Fear, in one word, is alien to man.

Through courage as a means will man be able to achieve man’s paramount objective, that is, finalized liberation of man from all sufferings. Courage thus encompasses the greatest scope for mankind. What a lovely and precious inheritance of man!

Courage is nature. Fear is implanted foreign matter. Courage is conducive to progress. Fear is self-defeating. We must breed courage in our hearts. At the same time we must execute fear and throw away all its remnants out of our hearts. We must totally purify our hearts clear of fear and be incandescent with courage within our hearts. Courage alone can rescue us from drawbacks, dangers and failures. Courage alone can help us reach our esteemed goals.

Both courage and fear follow all or non law. When courage exists fear is non-existent. When fear exists courage is non-existent. But what we are friendly with is courage, for courage benefits our existence. Fear is enemy to our existence. In consequence our duty as a human being becomes incessant driving away of fear out of our lives. That is to say Freedom from Fear out and out through one’s life is a primary obligation of man.

Freedom from Fear. That is the clarion call of democracy. For, fabricated democracy without regard to freedom from fear will land itself freely and easily into awaiting hands of military dictatorship and subsequent military determinism. Consequences will spell out a very dark and abysmal apocalyptic calamity which will be no other than a hellish death for humanity. Freedom of fear therefore must be prima stamina of society now and hereafter. And freedom from fear is a case of our hearts.

What are the conditions that implant fear into man’s hearts? This is a plausible question since fear is an outsider acquired only after contact with external influences – a trait not born along with the birth and life of man. In fact fear is nothing to do with man. It is not even a concern of man. The problem lies with the luring intricacies of external influences. If we could understand and solve the influences, our livelihood will be a life free from dangers of fear – a beautiful life leading to peace and magnanimity.

A case study is in vogue. The situation of present day Burma is that the sta
te power is in the hands of SPDC and the people of Burma are being oppressed and humiliated. SPDC means killing power of the army which is immediately ready to kill really without any rhyme or reason any human being that stands in their way. It is a case of killer SPDC against the common folk of the country. In bare contrast the scenario is foolhardy killing obsession of SPDC and life-and-wisdom of people vying with each other for respective powers. In plain language killing weapons of SPDC on the one hand and love of life of the people on the other hand standing face to face in a combat arena. This is where freedom from fear by the people is called for.

As have been explained earlier courage is a natural inborn instinct of man. Fear is just a superficial and temporary affiliation. So, if man is in fear it is because he is under the spell of illusions which he has as yet not understood. Remove the illusions with sufficient knowledge and man regains his ingrained courage. Freedom from fear is ensured and duly established for life.

What are SPDC’s techniques to instill illusions in the minds of the people? Five parameters are relevant.
1. State Power Parameter
2. Military Power Parameter
3. Political Parameter
4. Executive and Economic Parameter and
5. Media Paramete
1. State Power Parameter: With the seizure (coup de tat) of state power in 1962 by the military the country fell into the hands of the army chiefs. Until now state power is still in the hands of army chiefs. They had given various reasons for their coup de tat. These are all lies. State power must be solely possessed by the people – the unalienable prerogative of the people. People alone have the right to own state power. No other person or organization is liable to state power. Definitely not the military. This is the first source of illusion.

2. Military Power Parameter: The excuse given by the army chiefs (recently SPDC) is that the country is at the brink of collapse due to some pitfalls in 1947 Constitution concerning a federal state which will result in breaking away of ethnic nationalities from a union state into new different independent states. This is high treason because federalism envisioned in the 1947 constitution is not breaking away but joining hand in hand on equal and independent basis between brotherhoods of all ethnic nationalities. Since then the military (SPDC) has been virtually killing the civilian mass whenever they think they have been touched upon (even a soft rap), on grounds of anti-1947 constitution. This marks the second source of illusion.

3. Political Parameter: SPDC is holding a National Convention. They deem to hold also general elections. After that they will convene a parliament where 25% of the members will be soldiers sent in by the army without need of popular universal suffrage. Federalism is not mentioned. Instead there will be eight or so ethnic states where also 25% of respective ethnic parliaments will be soldiers hand picked by the army without due course of popular wise franchise. That means future Burma will not even be a state but just a mathematical conglomeration of separate parts under the iron rule and command of the ferocious army. This makes up the third factor illusion.

A state is a sole possession of the people. No other substitute or unelected representation could be allowed since people and the state is one and the same thing. No way for the military to meddle in state concerns. State in its true sense utterly prohibits military’s encroachment in any form upon birthright peaceful free expression of the civilian mass. So, SPDC’s national conventions, elections, parliament and the likes are one and the same as killing people by illegal use of nation’s weapons. Killer SPDC on a one-sided war path!

4. Executive and Economic Parameter: All law courts, legal matters and all departments of the country are under absolute command of SPDC. In real practice people has nothing to say for their free will. Everything under the sun – all resources human, living and natural – is a target for blood thirsty weapons of killer SPDC without any leniency conferring upon the people except for their power and economic kinships, who really are guaranteed slaves for them. All the economy and economic practices of the whole nation are spheres of wealth to be randomly exploited by the personnel of SPDC. The legacy and prestige of national sayings of our ancestors such as “the golden and beloved land of smiling Burmans” are now objects of ridicule and laughter by the whole lot of SPDC seniors. This reflects the fourth point of illusion.

5. Media Parameter: All that is true in the sector of media is free natural streams of air and factory issued white sheets of paper and liquefied colorful inks bought from foreign countries. For SPDC, Burma is a heaven of lies. For the people, Burma is a hell for eyes and ears not saying anything about head and heart. This is the final point of illusion planned and instilled by SPDC into the minds of the people.

If we are thorough with the unreality (because they are illusions) of the parameters we can now see that the stronghold of SPDC is its shooting enthusiasm against the common lot of the people. All the complexities of today’s matrix of political life just dwindle down to this SPDC’s obsession with shooting (blind killing of the people of Burma). The tone of combat is very sharp, very simple and very clear – obsession with shooting (killing the life of the people).

The apex of the crisis is a showdown between two distinct mottoes. The motto of SPDC is “Live and Let Die”, (By the way, it is the same as the title of a James Bond movie starring Sean Connery). The motto of the Burmese people (in a sense the motto of all good people the world over) is “Live and Let Live”. This motto is the wisdom of prophets. Live and Let Live simply has to win over Live and Let Die. Actually Live and Let Live is the life giver of the universe. Live and Let Die, on the other hand, is poison for the universe. We the people of the world must embrace Live and Let Live motto in our daily living and do away with Live and Let Die from the face of the earth. The duty falls on the shoulder of the people all the world over. For Burma, in particular, the duty falls on the people of Burma.

The first task of the people for this objective is to reawaken and enliven the Inborn Courage of our hearts. This is the same as empowering Freedom from Fear in our lives and hearts. This empowerment is unmistakably possible if we unanimously and thoroughly understand the fallacy of the five illusory parameters explained above. Love for truth is then unraveled – and the truth is political truth in fact. Man’s nature abides by truth and shuns falsehood. Now man sees transparently the falsehood of SPDC. He now becomes eager to live (regain) his old, true political life on his own. This means, on the strength of his deep faith in truth, he now is ready to do anything that will establish him as a true, free independent and living political being. His spirit has attained the height of Freedom from Fear, after understanding fully, thoroughly, and abhorring the wicked illusory parameters of SPDC discussed above.

The second stage will be popular mass demonstrations of the people. Demonstrations will consist of street corner stage talks, street walk slogans, hand held posters, political fliers, media and even UG propaganda. Many more types will appear as imagination goes deeper and deeper.

Demonstrations backed up by political wisdom and true spirit of Freedom from Fear of the people will definitely bring positive results. The conditions now are far more advanced than in 1988 when revolutionary tone is naïve and immature. Actually unprepared. Now times have changed. We have a reliable national leader, political parties, free and fair elections in 1990, popular mandate for NLD, a liberated area, international attention and support etc, etc which are conductive to people’s victory.

All are ripe and ready. We just have to strike first the spark of Freedom from Fear truly in our hearts and the spark will automatically grow into a wild fire --- and --- ultimately final victory of the people.