Did you ever feel so oppressed by the government that you want to set yourself on fire?
This guy did.
His name is Thích Quảng Đức and lived in old South Vietnam where being a Buddhist wasn’t allowed.
Guess what, he was a Buddhist.
This photo you’re looking at is one of the most popular photos ever taken. It was the World Press Photo of the Year in 1963 and it got a lot of attention. I’m sure you’ve seen this man before.
Why would anybody be so crazy to set himself on fire in the middle of the road?
South Vietnam was very Catholic back in the days and Buddhism wasn’t allowed to be practiced. Even though much of the population was Buddhist-minded.
It was so bad.
The day before Quang Duc set himself on fire, there were massive protests around the country by the Buddhists that wanted spiritual freedom. Then-president President Ngo Dinh Diem acted with the police force and a number of people were killed.
Symbolizing spiritual freedom
By publicly burning himself as a protest against the regime in South Vietnam, he became a symbol of spiritual freedom, which he thus did not have during his lifetime.
He said the last prayer before he dropped the match between his legs and ignited the flames to surround him. Everybody around him didn’t know what to do — the crowds were speechless.
The larger goal of freedom was more important to him than his life. He wasn’t scared of death.
He was a free man.
One of the most amazing things about this burning is that his heart did not turn to dust even after his cremation.
His heart must be pure.
After this, many more monks set themselves on fire to protest against the regime of Diem.
This group of monks who oppose Diem’s policies and regime gained more and more support from the population and eventually, they manage to overthrow the government, and Diem is assassinated.
Be ready to die
What Quang Duc already realized was that life extends beyond our material here on earth. He was ready to die, he had done enough here and made the decision to sacrifice himself for freedom.
We can learn so much from this thought.
In the 21st century, we want to go on and on and on, not a single moment of rest and self-reflection. We only look to the future and are actually all afraid of death.
We have ourselves tinkered with so that we can live as long as possible. A competition to see who can take the most breaths in a lifetime. You should approach life as if you could die every day.
You need to die before you go.
Final thoughts
Sticking to your principles is a very beautiful thing.
Especially when it works. Many of us have no backbone left and want to live a comfortable life instead of a real life, with setbacks. Because that’s what it is.
We’ve all become Netflix addicts that can’t live without comfort anymore. We should all get out the door more. Throw your phone away and sleep under the stars.
Life is boring without setbacks.
Now you don’t have to set yourself on fire, but a little resistance might be good for us. Try to listen to yourself and not blindly go along with what you are told or forbidden to do.
Life is worth fighting for, so try to live instead of surviving every single day in this matrix.