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mrswythe89's review against another edition
3.0
Difficult for me to comment on the political/literary commentary considering how little I know about Burmese politics or literature. Still, the essay on Indian and Burmese literature felt a bit dated. But this was worth reading. I probably liked the personal bits best -- kind of identified with Aung San Suu Kyi in parts!
I was interested by how her political philosophy is so deeply grounded in Buddhism -- not a strand of thinking I'd seen explored properly before, and definitely something I'd like to find out more about.
I was interested by how her political philosophy is so deeply grounded in Buddhism -- not a strand of thinking I'd seen explored properly before, and definitely something I'd like to find out more about.
misspalah's review against another edition
3.0
Burma is one of those countries which seem to have been favoured by nature. Its soil is rich, producing rice and other food crops in abundance. There are vast forests containing a large variety of trees from which valuable timber is extracted. The ground yields petroleum and many minerals and precious stones including rubies, sapphires and jade. The rivers and streams are full of fish; and from the sea along Burma's coastline come not just seafood but some of the world's loveliest pearls. It is therefore not surprising that Burma has been described as a golden land, an eastern paradise of untold riches. But of course no country on earth is a real paradise and, for all its natural wealth, Burma is not among the rich nations of the world today. It is nevertheless an extremely beautiful country peopled by many different races. It is from the Burmese people, who form the biggest racial group, that the name of the country is derived.
- My Country and My People: Freedom from fear by Aung San Suu Kyi
.
.
Before I proceeded with my review, I have to disclose that I already lost trust and respect for Aung San Suu Kyi in 2017. She has the power but the way she handled the Rohingya crisis just did not sit well with me. BUT, I did not know much about Burma/Myanmar at that time hence picking up this book seems like a good start to at least understand her and her perception that she has towards her country.
.
The book consisted of three sections. The first section provided us, the readers - background information on Burma. I learned about Burma/Myanmar’s society, religion, and ethnic groups. Not gonna lie, the description of Burma with its colourful nature and warm climate is so poetic. I can almost imagine I was there witnessing everything. Afterwards, the first section shifted towards how venerable Aung San is in Burma/Myanmar. I knew that Aung San is a prominent figure in Burma and Myanmar but in this section, I learned WHY and reasons for it. This is the excerpt from page 24 : “The years 1945-7 saw the emergence of Aung San as a strong leader and an able statesman who had the confidence as well as the love of the people, disproving beyond doubt the criticisms of those who had wanted him to remain in the army. In May 1945 the British government had declared its future policy towards Burma in the form of a White Paper. This provided for a period of three years' direct rule by the Governor and, in due course, elections and the restoration of a Burmese Council and Legis-lature, which were no more than what had been established under the 1935 Burma Act. Only after the Council and Legislature had been restored would there be a step forward: the drafting of a constitution by all parties which would eventually provide the basis on which Burma would be granted dominion status. How-ever, the hill and frontier areas would be excluded from this arrangement unless the people of these 'excluded areas specifically expressed the desire to be amalgamated with the rest of Burma. The terms of the White Paper were totally unacceptable to the AFPFL, as Aung San and Than Tun made clear to Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, the returning Governor of Burma, even before the end of the military administration.”
.
Section two delve into what democracy is. Aung San Suu Kyi tried to educate us, the readers on how it is compatible with the Buddhist beliefs. As someone who only have a basic knowledge about Buddhism, this analysis is very much needed. Majority of Burmese people is Buddhist and Aung San Suu Kyi knew how to attract masses by highlighting these beliefs into the aspect of good governance of the country. In the page 170, this is what she highlighted under the article ‘Quest of Democracy’ - The Buddhist view of kingship does not invest the ruler with the divine right to govern the realm as he pleases. He is expected to observe the Ten Duties of Kings, the Seven Safeguards against Decline, the Four Assistances to the People, and to be guided by numerous other codes of conduct such as the Twelve Practices of Rulers, the Six Attributes of Leaders, the Eight Virtues of Kings and the Four Ways to Overcome Peril. There is logic to a tradition which includes the king among the five enemies or perils and which subscribes to many sets of moral instructions for the edification of those in positions of authority. The people of Burma have had much experience of despotic rule and possess a great awareness of the unhappy gap that can exist between the theory and practice of government. The Ten Duties of Kings are widely known and generally accepted as a yardstick which could be applied just as well to modern government as to the first monarch of the world. The duties are: liberality, morality, self-sacrifice, integrity, kindness, austerity, non-anger, non-violence, forbearance and non-opposi-tion (to the will of the people).
.
The third and final section of the book is about Aung San Suu Kyi herself. These essays were written by those who knew, admired and respected here. It was supposed to give us the glimpses of herself – her characters/attitudes and even her habits. Her convictions are inspiring to say the least. Page 290 described her best at least thats what i felt
When Aung San Suu Kyi started on her round of campaign tours all over Burma as the general secretary of her newly founded political party, the National League for Democracy, it was not only to set up centres for the party but to arouse the Burmese from the habit of fear into which they had fallen over the years of Ne Win's repressive military rule, which in the latter years had worn a deceptive civilian cloak. She has a perfect command of the English language more than matched by her brilliant and inspired use of Burmese. With Burmese she reaches the hearts and minds of her people, like her father before her. With English she interprets her ideas and actions to the world. The first is of more immediate importance in her effort to awake a people sunk in the apathy of years and only recently roused to protest. This has involved the most strenuous physical and mental exertion attended by obvious as well as hidden and incalculable risks and dangers, more especially since the military government's decree that an assembly of more than four people was illegal and could be dispersed by force.
.
Overall, this book is not a complete guide of Burma/Myanmar’s Political History. Its just a personal insight of Aung San Suu Kyi and others in reviewing a particular period of Burma/Myanmar. I wanted to warn future readers that if you wanted to read this book, some of the essays is repetitive and I almost DNF in the middle of the book because of this issue.
- My Country and My People: Freedom from fear by Aung San Suu Kyi
.
.
Before I proceeded with my review, I have to disclose that I already lost trust and respect for Aung San Suu Kyi in 2017. She has the power but the way she handled the Rohingya crisis just did not sit well with me. BUT, I did not know much about Burma/Myanmar at that time hence picking up this book seems like a good start to at least understand her and her perception that she has towards her country.
.
The book consisted of three sections. The first section provided us, the readers - background information on Burma. I learned about Burma/Myanmar’s society, religion, and ethnic groups. Not gonna lie, the description of Burma with its colourful nature and warm climate is so poetic. I can almost imagine I was there witnessing everything. Afterwards, the first section shifted towards how venerable Aung San is in Burma/Myanmar. I knew that Aung San is a prominent figure in Burma and Myanmar but in this section, I learned WHY and reasons for it. This is the excerpt from page 24 : “The years 1945-7 saw the emergence of Aung San as a strong leader and an able statesman who had the confidence as well as the love of the people, disproving beyond doubt the criticisms of those who had wanted him to remain in the army. In May 1945 the British government had declared its future policy towards Burma in the form of a White Paper. This provided for a period of three years' direct rule by the Governor and, in due course, elections and the restoration of a Burmese Council and Legis-lature, which were no more than what had been established under the 1935 Burma Act. Only after the Council and Legislature had been restored would there be a step forward: the drafting of a constitution by all parties which would eventually provide the basis on which Burma would be granted dominion status. How-ever, the hill and frontier areas would be excluded from this arrangement unless the people of these 'excluded areas specifically expressed the desire to be amalgamated with the rest of Burma. The terms of the White Paper were totally unacceptable to the AFPFL, as Aung San and Than Tun made clear to Sir Reginald Dorman-Smith, the returning Governor of Burma, even before the end of the military administration.”
.
Section two delve into what democracy is. Aung San Suu Kyi tried to educate us, the readers on how it is compatible with the Buddhist beliefs. As someone who only have a basic knowledge about Buddhism, this analysis is very much needed. Majority of Burmese people is Buddhist and Aung San Suu Kyi knew how to attract masses by highlighting these beliefs into the aspect of good governance of the country. In the page 170, this is what she highlighted under the article ‘Quest of Democracy’ - The Buddhist view of kingship does not invest the ruler with the divine right to govern the realm as he pleases. He is expected to observe the Ten Duties of Kings, the Seven Safeguards against Decline, the Four Assistances to the People, and to be guided by numerous other codes of conduct such as the Twelve Practices of Rulers, the Six Attributes of Leaders, the Eight Virtues of Kings and the Four Ways to Overcome Peril. There is logic to a tradition which includes the king among the five enemies or perils and which subscribes to many sets of moral instructions for the edification of those in positions of authority. The people of Burma have had much experience of despotic rule and possess a great awareness of the unhappy gap that can exist between the theory and practice of government. The Ten Duties of Kings are widely known and generally accepted as a yardstick which could be applied just as well to modern government as to the first monarch of the world. The duties are: liberality, morality, self-sacrifice, integrity, kindness, austerity, non-anger, non-violence, forbearance and non-opposi-tion (to the will of the people).
.
The third and final section of the book is about Aung San Suu Kyi herself. These essays were written by those who knew, admired and respected here. It was supposed to give us the glimpses of herself – her characters/attitudes and even her habits. Her convictions are inspiring to say the least. Page 290 described her best at least thats what i felt
When Aung San Suu Kyi started on her round of campaign tours all over Burma as the general secretary of her newly founded political party, the National League for Democracy, it was not only to set up centres for the party but to arouse the Burmese from the habit of fear into which they had fallen over the years of Ne Win's repressive military rule, which in the latter years had worn a deceptive civilian cloak. She has a perfect command of the English language more than matched by her brilliant and inspired use of Burmese. With Burmese she reaches the hearts and minds of her people, like her father before her. With English she interprets her ideas and actions to the world. The first is of more immediate importance in her effort to awake a people sunk in the apathy of years and only recently roused to protest. This has involved the most strenuous physical and mental exertion attended by obvious as well as hidden and incalculable risks and dangers, more especially since the military government's decree that an assembly of more than four people was illegal and could be dispersed by force.
.
Overall, this book is not a complete guide of Burma/Myanmar’s Political History. Its just a personal insight of Aung San Suu Kyi and others in reviewing a particular period of Burma/Myanmar. I wanted to warn future readers that if you wanted to read this book, some of the essays is repetitive and I almost DNF in the middle of the book because of this issue.
shiradest's review against another edition
4.0
p. 178 from her essay "In Quest of Democracy" she says
"In a revolutionary movement there is always the danger that political exigencies might obscure, or even nullify, essential spiritual aims. A firm insistence on the inviolability and primacy of such aims is not mere idealism but a necessary safeguard against an Animal Farm syndrome where the new order ... takes on the murky colours of the very system is has replaced."
interesting juxtaposition to Nelson Mandella's reasoning that non-violence was not to be the absolute from a tactical perspective, in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. I'm glad to see that Gandhi (and of course Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)was not the only person to understand the vital importance of non-violence in bringing about change.
This also shows the fundamental importance of non-violent ideology, across Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism .
Read, Write, Dream, Teach !
ShiraDest
19 February, 12016 HE
"In a revolutionary movement there is always the danger that political exigencies might obscure, or even nullify, essential spiritual aims. A firm insistence on the inviolability and primacy of such aims is not mere idealism but a necessary safeguard against an Animal Farm syndrome where the new order ... takes on the murky colours of the very system is has replaced."
interesting juxtaposition to Nelson Mandella's reasoning that non-violence was not to be the absolute from a tactical perspective, in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. I'm glad to see that Gandhi (and of course Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)was not the only person to understand the vital importance of non-violence in bringing about change.
This also shows the fundamental importance of non-violent ideology, across Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism .
Read, Write, Dream, Teach !
ShiraDest
19 February, 12016 HE
setaian's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoyed this book. It's not perfect but it serves its purpose.
theoneana's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
emason1121's review
3.0
Interesting and educational, but sometimes got a bit tedious because the pieces were often written for academic or administrative purposes, as opposed to literary appeal. I finished feeling that I had not connected with who she was as a person, but that I learned a lot.
moma's review
4.0
This book contains a couple of essays of Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Birma's national heroes Aung San, one of the important people behind independence Birma. In 1988 she travels to Birma to be with her ill mother. She supports the struggle of Birma to become a democracy, but the military junta SLORC is seeing her as a threat and are trying everything to stop her. In 1989 they places her under house arrest. The SLORC says she's free to leave to country, but then she can never come back again. Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to go. The 2nd and 3th part of the book are essays about the history and about Aung San Suu Kyi herself.
It was a very interesting book, specially the essays written by Aung San Suu Kyi self. While reading the book I felt often very sad, because it's such a tragic situation she's in. I think she's a very brave and inspiring woman. She absolutely deserved the Nobel Peace Prize she received in 1991, while she was under house arrest.
I was shocked to read that she hasn't seen her sons for so long and that she couldn't go to the funeral of her beloved husband who died in 1999. With her whole (pilgrim)soul, heart she supports altruistic Birma's struggle for freedom and democracy, giving up her own live for it. A friend of her reminds her with a poem by Yeats:
How many loved your moments of glad grace
And loved your beauty with love false and true
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you.
I think we all love that pilgrim soul in Aung San Suu Kyi.
It was a very interesting book, specially the essays written by Aung San Suu Kyi self. While reading the book I felt often very sad, because it's such a tragic situation she's in. I think she's a very brave and inspiring woman. She absolutely deserved the Nobel Peace Prize she received in 1991, while she was under house arrest.
I was shocked to read that she hasn't seen her sons for so long and that she couldn't go to the funeral of her beloved husband who died in 1999. With her whole (pilgrim)soul, heart she supports altruistic Birma's struggle for freedom and democracy, giving up her own live for it. A friend of her reminds her with a poem by Yeats:
How many loved your moments of glad grace
And loved your beauty with love false and true
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you.
I think we all love that pilgrim soul in Aung San Suu Kyi.