I've always wanted to write something beautiful. Something that resonates with the reader on a fundamental and visceral level, something so profound and moving that it leaves people in a stunned, contemplative silence for a few minutes. I want to write something so charged and powerful that people are awed and amazed. I want to send a message that holds so much truth that weight that people don't know how to respond.
You know who knows how to send a message like that? The Buddhists. On June 10th, 1963, Thich Quang Duc performed his self-immolation in front of the Cambodian embassy in protest of the Diem government's oppression of the Buddhist people. Burning yourself alive is a hell of a message to send. Photographer Malcolm Brown took a picture of the event which later won a Pulitzer prize and the 1963 World Journalism Photo of the Year. The monk remained motionless and stoic while he burned alive. It even ended up as the cover art for Rage Against The Machine's first album.
This picture always awes me. The incredible ability of this monk to remain motionless in searing agony, it puts me in a grisly silence, and it makes me wonder, what went through his head during his final moments? I have a profound respect for Buddhists, the lives they lead, the control they have over their bodies, the absolute dedication they have to their cause, their philosophies of life, everything. And man, what a way to send a message. There's a kind of juxtaposition between the act itself and the words he spoke beforehand. He respectfully asked the Diem government to allow and respect religious equality, calmly and colloquially. Then he burned himself alive. There's a a subtle, yet undeniable hostility in the act, and I'm hesitant to even call it a nonviolent protest because of the intense way it conveyed that the Buddhists are not fucking around with this one. In no way could anyone possibly take this lightly. This was a calculated, savage message saying one thing: we will not live like this.
That is one hell of a message.
That's the kind of message I want to be able to send. I want to be able to put the same effect of Thich Quang Duc's, message into words. I find the concept of literature fascinating. Through the right combination of words, you can invoke any emotion, any feeling, any concept (though some would disagree), you can communicate nearly everything and anything.
Well, nearly.
As a construct of humanity, language is as fallible as its creators. I was faced with this problem a few days ago when I tried to argue that not all revolutions, not all changes need "hate" as a catalyst. There are many revolutions, driven by hate, but I used the example of Gandhi's revolution of civil disobedience. I know the concept, the feeling that Gandhi likely felt to lead this revolution, but I struggled to find the right word. I tried "discontent", but it's too mild, and it it's a bit off to the side of the concept I was looking for. This was about a week ago, and right now the best word I can think of is "righteousness", which is much closer than "discontent", but it still doesn't seem to quite capture the idea, the essence of Gandhi's message. No, it's more comforting, more embracing than righteousness, it's similar to love, but, more righteous. A defiant love if you will. I simply cannot think of a word for that and I'm convinced it doesn't exist. But I can still convey the idea I want through a combination of similar words.
Right now my question is; is there a message that no combination of words can possibly communicate? Is there something that we can feel that we are powerless to share?
