Topic for Found Art Tuesday June 5 2007: REBEL

You remember almost 20 years ago this guy in China who stood in front of a line of tanks that where headed to Tiananmen square? He stood there, alone for minutes, stopping the tanks only for a little while. When I first saw it, I was sure he was going to get run over the tank, but there were too many people watching, too many foreign reporters watching.

They call this guy the Unknown Rebel, and this June 5 marks 18 years of this event. I remember 1989, it was a year full of internal turmoil, decisions to be made, I was beginning to see the world for what it was, a difficult place to live in, but this guy.... he gave me hope. He was there, in a communist country, alone. And there were tanks coming.. TANKS! he stood there for what he believed. It changed the world. It changed me.

I remember this guy, he taught me a lesson of determination. Every time I see the picture I get a renew sense of hope, that it IS possible for one person to make a difference. WE can make a difference. We can stop global warming, we can stop wars, we can stop violence. The thing is, we have to start here, where we are, being kind to the people around us, recycling in our homes, turning off lights we don't use, eating healthier food. Being  a REBEL, standing in front of our own tanks, making a difference.