It’s very hard not to get sad when thinking about the world and how horrible a place it can be. It’s very hard to remember the other lives that are being abused today, when my life is so easy. It’s very hard when you know you can’t fix these problems that plague society. It makes my blood boil.

Right now, people are living in fear. In fear of their government, in fear of their people, in fear of disease, in fear of something.

Burma, Southeast Asia, 2007.

Monks are holy and sacred figures, the symbols of peace and humanity in Burma. They are religious leaders who focus on the tranquility of life and don’t involve themselves in politics, that is, until the summer of 2007.

The political standing of Burma is corrupt, savage, and inhumane to put it lightly. The government, an organization of people meant to protect the welfare of their fellow Burmese, has caged their people and censored the news. Their goal was to disband people, to prevent civilians from joining together because two people are stronger than one, and 100 people are stronger than 10. Nobody speaks in fear of being taken by undercover government officials. Their voices aren’t heard. The people are mute. The people are afraid. The people are waiting for an answer, for a solution.

The monks decided to fight for their people, the first, great protest since the protests in 1988 where countless brave students were shot and killed. Thousands and thousands of monks dressed in their traditional red robes walked in a non-violent protest. Shouts for freedom and justice rang in the streets as their red garments lined the streets. The bravery of the monks was contagious and soon hundred of civilians joined their walk around Burma. They felt safe. Nobody would dare lay their hands on a sacred monk.

Red lined the streets. They were taken on trucks. Bruises marked the ones that came back. The corpse of a monk was found in a river, face down. The people were shocked. The people were lost. The people were in panic. What would they do now?

Video reporters risked their lives to record the horrors of life in Burma. Only the few brave people became video reporters and joined the Democratic Voice of Burma to capture the situation in Burma. The danger was too much. Their work has impacted the world as the reporters sent their videos to the rest of the world via satellite.

Today, people cannot enter or leave Burma. No news of the current state of the people or government is leaked. We can only hope for the best.