Today is the 25th anniversary of the protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square when thousands of protestors stood up to the governments military might asking for the basic human rights that many of us take for granted. Like many ‘milestone’ events I remember where I was when the event happened. It was the Annual Meeting of Toronto Conference and we were in Owen Sound. During the meeting announcements were made as to the events happening half a globe away.
The photo image that captured the event was that of the one lone man in a stand-off with a military tank. That photo, that was shown and seen around the world, catalysed public opinion against to the power, control and brutality of the Chinese government.
In early years I would often point to that moment as exemplifying the power of one person. Of course he was not alone, he had been supported, encouraged and empowered by the hundreds and hundreds of citizens that had campaigned up to that moment and had gathered in that square. But he stood alone and it was his stalwart and unwavering action that made history shift.
There is still great oppression and control exercised in China by the authorities. But that one man opened the eyes of the world as to the domination of the citizenry and how prepared at least one person was to stand up for what he believed in.
Have there been times in your life that you can point to when you stood up for something you believed in? Did it make a difference?
