By U Tin Nyunt (April 16, 2026)
Note: The Author was arrested after he published the article and his whereabout is unknown. His arrest is the indication of Human Rights violation in Myanmar (Burma) Today.
The weather has become incredibly hot. I am busy writing at my computer. It is so sweltering that sweat is literally pouring off my hands. After getting a drink of water, I sit down in my easy chair to rest for a moment. Maung Kyaw Swar approaches me.
“ Teacher, would you like some tamarind juice?” “ That sounds great… go ahead and pour some. Have some yourself, too.”
Maung Kyaw Swar brings two glasses of tamarind juice and hands one to me. “ Ah… that’s refreshing!” “ Did you soak the tamarind since last night, Teacher?” “ Yes… it’s the perfect drink for this season. By the way, what are you reading?” “ I’m just feeling sad for someone I’m looking at, Teacher.” “ Who is it?”
Maung Kyaw Swar shows me a picture on his phone. I take a look and say, “ This isn’t anything strange. These kinds of people exist.” “ True, Teacher… they exist. But I feel such a waste for them.” “ There’s no need to feel that way, Maung Kyaw Swar. If you keep pitying people who aren’t worth pitying, you’ll become a pitiful person yourself. Just ignore people like that. Strike them off your list. I want to tell you something the great actor Morgan Freeman once said. Listen.” “ Yes, Teacher.” “ ‘Stupid is knowing the truth, seeing the truth, but still believing the lies.’ Do you understand?”
“ It means that a person who knows and sees the truth but continues to believe in lies is called ‘Stupid,’ right?” “ Go ahead and translate the word ‘Stupid’ into our context,” I challenge him. “ I usually know ‘Stupid’ as being a fool, a blockhead, or a simpleton. But I don’t think that’s what Freeman meant. I think it’s deeper than that.”
“ Correct, Maung Kyaw Swar. The ‘Stupid’ Freeman refers to isn’t about having a low IQ or being uneducated. He is talking about people who are literate and educated, yet are ‘low-class’ in their lack of wisdom and moral conscience.”
“ In that case, let me try this, Teacher: ‘A person who knows and sees the truth but continues to believe the lie is an ignoble person devoid of true wisdom.’ Would that work?”
“ Yes, as long as you grasp the essence. I prefer the phrase ‘ignoble and devoid of wisdom.’ By choosing to believe lies while knowing the truth, they are revealing a profound weakness of spirit.”
“ But Teacher, why do people enjoy those lies even when they know they are being lied to?” “ There are many reasons. Most commonly, it’s because they find the lie ‘pleasant’ or ‘comfortable’.” “ I don’t quite get that.” “ Do you accept that the truth is often bitter, while lies and falsehoods are much sweeter?” “ I accept that the truth is bitter, Teacher.”
“ Alright. For example, if people say our country is the most abundant in resources, the most pleasant, and the happiest nation in the world—is that true or false right now, Maung Kyaw Swar?” “ It can’t be true at this time, Teacher.” “ Exactly. And yet, it’s amazing how many people find comfort in those lies. To put it bluntly, when people refuse to admit that the grassroots are sinking into deep poverty, that is called ‘finding pleasure in the lie.’ And there’s another reason.” “ What is it?” “ Accepting the lie out of fear.”
“ Are they accepting it because they fear the truth, or because they fear the consequences of rejecting the lie?” “ We are talking about accepting the lie because of fear. If you accept the truth, you become responsible for doing something about it. Those who want to avoid responsibility and accountability end up bowing and saying ‘Yes, sir’ to the lie. In a way, they feel it is safer to hide behind a wall of falsehoods.”
“ I see… I like that point. It’s easier to go with the flow of the lie than to face the heavy responsibility of acting on the truth. We see this in reality every day.”
“ Another factor is the ‘group mentality’—accepting a wrong as right just to fit in. Even if a person sees the truth, they pretend to believe the lie because they are afraid of being the only one standing apart from the crowd.” “ That is truly terrible, Teacher.” “ There’s more. Some people aren’t believing the lies because they are foolish.” “ How so?” “ These are the ones who pretend to believe as a survival strategy.” “ I don’t understand.”
“ I mean people who must show they believe the lie because speaking the truth would put their lives in danger. It’s hard to say if these people are fools or just cautious. But over time, these ‘vague’ people eventually become the ones who destroy the very truth they once believed in.” “ What do you mean by survival strategy?”
“ I’m talking about a Survival Mechanism. When everyone hides the truth and pretends to accept lies just to survive, the truth stops being an internal guide and becomes a ‘stranger.’ When people never dare to speak the truth, it becomes difficult for future generations to even recognize what the truth looks like. If lies are supported for too long, they eventually become ‘the truth’ by default—and that is dangerous. That is why we need people who can expose the truth.”
“ It’s scary when the educated become corrupt. What do you say about those who happily wallow in lies while knowing better?” “ There are two parts to that. Some support the lie temporarily to wait for an opportunity or to protect their families. This is called ‘Tactical Submission’—strategically kneeling. Even if they hold the truth in their hearts, they kneel to survive. But we cannot view this positively, Maung Kyaw Swar.” “ Why not, Teacher?” “ Because if you kneel for too long, you might forget how to stand up.”
“ And the other part?” “ The other part is ‘Moral Erosion’. These are people whose ethics have simply rotted away. They don’t just want to survive; they want to prosper, so they embrace the lie for personal gain. You could say these people are the ones who knowingly murder the truth. They aren’t just victims; they are accomplices. They are far more dangerous than the liars themselves.”
“ No matter how much the truth is covered with lies, it can never truly disappear, can it?” “ Correct. Those who hold onto the truth may disappear, but the truth itself never will. For the truth to survive, there must be people to pass it down through the generations. As long as there are young people like you, I believe the truth will continue to live.” “ You can count on it, Teacher.”
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Translator’s Note: This text reflects a deep dissatisfaction with “ intellectuals” who remain silent or complicit during times of national crisis, emphasizing that education without courage or morality is a form of “ low-class” behavior.
Photos- U Tin Nyunt
Translate by Era’s Eye
