မေးခွန်း
The most famous Shakespearean quote is “To be or not to be.” But right now, it would not be wrong to say that the real burning question for young Burmese people is: “To stay or to leave” the country.
I was not an exception to this. I asked myself the same question six months after the coup, and it took me another six months to make a final decision.
Back then, I sat by the shore almost every day, watching the restless waves crashed. As I turned the question over and over in my head, I smoked one cigarette after another, enduring every level of hell in my own thoughts and passing sleepless nights.
The final decision came about in January 2022. Despite the mounting challenges, I chose to remain in the country. I was at peace with my decision for another year and a half until the Reserved Forces law came out in February 2024.
Of courese, the very same question resurfaced and haunted me once again. The new law tempted me to leave the country. I was unsure all over again.
People who are dear to me and know me kept asking me why I was still here—they were as confused as I was about why I hadn’t left the shit-hole, as they put it. They did not seem to understand, and neither did I. Even right now, I do not know what I am expecting, but one thing I am sure of and can’t lie to myself about is that I am waiting to see dear friends of mine.
When it comes down to answering the question of leaving the country, it’s easier said than done. While escape is possible for those of us with strong financial means, for the vast majority, it isn’t.
Sadly, the ones facing conscription these days are high school students and young men from underprivileged backgrounds. Despite their will, they are forced to prove themselves the bravest or perhaps the most reckless in defying the junta’s atrocities and the unjust Reserved Forces law.
What comes next? The future is blurred, and the same goes for me.