June 3, 2007.
Email to friends in the US:
Throughout my wanderings, I have come to see that there’s a lot of truth to the “six connections between any two people on Earth” idea.
Today, I received an e-invite to a US Campaign for Burma house arrest party for jailed Burmese Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday. It instantly reminded me of something that happened earlier this week.
When I was on the road with my colleague Adis, headed to a human rights workshop in Kozara, we got on the subject of travel. Adis said he wanted to visit Southeast Asia, and mentioned an interest in Burma in particular. Why Burma? I asked him. He told me that during the war, clothing donations were sent to Bosnia from all over the world. One day, he and a school friend went to pick up clothes from a relief agency operating in their area. After waiting in line, they received some donated shirts, pants, etc. One of the t–shirts given to Adis‘ friend said “FREE BURMA. FREE AUNG SAN SUU KYI” on it. Adis said everyone thought it was the coolest thing, and it never left his mind.
I just thought that was a strange, illuminating story about the threads that tie us together across vast distances.
Love,
T
Transitionland 