The Power of Protest
Upon arriving in my hotel room in Oslo, I went immediately to my window to explore the view. I was expecting to see the plaza, boasting statues, fountains and manicured flowerbeds surrounded by grand edifices. What I was not expecting was the group of people, standing in the rain, protesting. It took me a while to decipher what it was they were protesting against – I couldn’t hear what they were saying and probably wouldn’t have understood even if I had. 
Finally, I focused in on a poster floating amidst the crowd and discovered it was a photo of Aung San Suu Kyi. My next thought was that it had something to do with the conference I was attending, the Oslo Freedom Forum. Perhaps it was a conference event or activity, I thought, or maybe they were protesting because they knew we were there and wanted us to pay attention. Whatever the case, I was inspired to find out what was going on. I soon discovered neither was true, but that protesting is common in Oslo. People are often voicing their opinions about current events around the world.
After dinner, despite the exhaustion after my long journey from NY, I could not go to bed without investigating the matter further – my conscience wouldn’t let me! As I read, I learned of the unfortunate developments in Aung San Suu Kyi’s case. According to most publications, like this one in the New York Times, Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested for violating the terms of her house arrest because an American man swam across the lake, entered her house and spent the night. Most publications also stated a belief, from at least one source, that it was a convenient excuse the ruling junta was using to keep Aung San Suu Kyi from being a candidate in the forthcoming elections in Myanmar . Her house arrest sentence was less than two weeks from its end and if found guilty of these new charges she would be sentenced to another 5 years in prison.
I chose to write about this here for two reasons: first, because I deeply respect Aung San Suu Kyi and consider her a hero of our time. She has used her will, her life force – given everything she has – to uphold a principle. While I can’t say what that principle is for her, she has peacefully fought against the oppressive regime in her native country of Burma, exposing the abuse of power and the oppression and violence of her people by the ruling junta to maintain control. Like many of my heroes, she champions freedom and human rights for us all, bringing our attention to an injustice and challenging our beliefs of what a single person can do. The second focus of this blog entry is slightly different, in that rather than focusing on what the crowd in Oslo were protesting, I want to emphasize the fact simply that they were protesting.
After the protesters for Aung San Suu Kyi left the square, they were immediately followed by another, larger and more aggressive group. This second group consisted of supporters of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. They were protesting the death of their rebel leader Prabhakaran. I later witnessed this group return to the plaza every day – in the pouring rain – to voice their protest. I paid attention – I couldn’t not! I was, in the very least, made aware of the issues plaguing our modern world. The issues became a part of my consciousness, a part of our conference – they became conversation points. This impressed me greatly. This was powerful. It shone a glaring light on my “New York life,” and again on the trivial things that often consume my mind and time.
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”
Elie Wiesel
In the end, I don’t think it matters what we protest or how – we can use our dollars, our actions, or our words – what is important is that we find something worth taking a stand for. The more I think about it, the more I believe our biggest problem is our self-inflicted impotency. We can change things. We can right wrongs and overcome injustices. We are not bound by our circumstances, we help create them and thus we can create them anew! From Gandhi to Mandela, His Holiness the Dala Lama and Aung San Suu Kyi, we have role models who show us the effect one life can have on the world. Each of us have the potential to use our life force in such a way, so the question I ask myself yet again is: why don’t we?
One of my teachers, Keith Raniere, often considers things like “How can I care more? How can I feel more deeply?” This is something I struggle with every day in my easy, comfortable existence in this technologically advanced western world. It is so easy to be distracted by little things, to get caught up in pettiness and avoid thinking or feeling. Caring is something I must strive to build, and I need help doing so – I believe we all do.
Thank you Oslo protestors for your help in provoking these questions and inspiring me to care.
Here are some links for inspiration:
InLak’ech : A non-violent citizen’s movement founded by a group of my very close friends in Mexico, with the help and guidance of Keith Raniere.
A Force More Powerful : Watching this documentary I became aware of what people are capable of. I felt empowered. It was a history lesson from a new perspective – rather than the history of conquerors it was a history of citizens movements, when ordinary people did extraordinary acts and prevailed!
Non-Violent Conlict : This nfp organization founded by Peter Ackerman and Jack DuVall (who I have met and found to be a wonderfully deep, thoughtful and caring soul) provides extensive educational tools and resources for non-violent action.
Pray the Devil Back to Hell : This movie, produced by my friend and one of my personal heroes Abby Disney, inspired me both as an activist and as a woman. It brought to light the innate values of humanity and compassion women hold and the power we have when we uphold our selves and that which we hold most sacred.
