The dedication it must have taken for Thích Quảng Đức to take his own life in such a manner.
Although here in the US we are beginning to see more political action, these seem to be small and short term in scale. Even the Occupy movement seems to have all but disappeared from the media. As cold-hearted as it may sound the citizens here are just not desperate enough to be able to affect major social change. Marching or protesting and then going home when you are cold, hungry, or tired simply does not put the pressure on the targets which would be needed to change policy. Often here we are “too busy” to make an active contribution to social movements. However, the actions of the Venerable Thich Quang Duc brings into question to what lengths a person can go to in order to support their cause. Simple repression cannot possibly be the sole cause for showing this level of commitment. Obviously, we can consider that his training as a Buddhist monk potentially was able to give him the discipline to sit there conveying a visual sense of peace while he was burning, but I feel that it must go beyond discipline. He must have been truly desperate in order to make the conscious decision to take his life in such a manner. Compared to burning alive for 10 minutes the discomfort of cold noses and toes, sore muscles and hungry bellies seems quite superficial. There have been others who have committed suicide, even recently, to make social statements. My assessment is that they are desperate, they have been ignored, and they feel unheard and powerless. Likewise, I feel it is safe to assume that, should the conditions which brought about these desperate acts go on, there will be more people who are in a position where they feel ignored and see no other option than to act out.
I had to look up more about this historical moment. The pictures and videos of the scene are nothing short of moving.
Tom
Sources:
Image: http://i.imgur.com/w0m8yGM.jpg
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC6YFcEL3IY
Reading: Malcolm Browne, The New Face of War: Death of the Venerable Thich Quang Duc (1963), (1986)
I think taking your life for protest and movement like Duc did is a serious as it gets when it comes to protesting. I think a drastic measure like burning yourself alive in public shows how committed and how much trust he had in his fellows protestors to carry out the cause he fought for. If he didn’t trust people to carry out his word and his thought, would it have been worth it to burn himself alive? Many people could never say killing yourself is worth anything, but Duc obviously believed this was the way to get done what needed to get done. I think your point of desperation is important to note because I think suicide in the form of protest is the most drastic measure someone can take, and Duc did it.