Daily Inspiration: The Tank Man

After the Chinese military removed protestors violently from Tiananmen Square in June 5, 1989, an unknown man dubbed ‘The Tank Man’ stood in front of these Chinese Type 59 tanks.

I am so fascinated by this brave man, who was apparently only 19 at the time. What drove him to such act of heroism? Carrying shopping bags in his hand I can only imagine that this act was not something he had planned. People just a day before had been reportedly crushed by these machine’s.

We could all learn from him, a reminder to stand up for what you believe in…not to be afraid to be different and go against everyone else. Not to be afraid in making a difference. To be fearless and to do this without violence.

The story:

“The incident took place near Tiananmen on Chang’an Avenue, which runs east-west along the south end of the Forbidden City in Beijing, on June 5, 1989, one day after the Chinese government’s violent crackdown on the Tiananmen protests. The man placed himself alone in the middle of the street as the tanks approached, directly in the path of the armored vehicles. He held two shopping bags, one in each hand.^[1] As the tanks came to a stop, the man gestured towards the tanks with his bags. In response, the lead tank attempted to drive around the man, but the man repeatedly stepped into the path of the tank in a show of nonviolent action.^[2] After repeatedly attempting to go around rather than crush the man, the lead tank stopped its engines, and the armored vehicles behind it seemed to follow suit. There was a short pause with the man and the tanks having reached a quiet, still impasse.” – Wikipedia