I was telling a few people the other day about this photo, which is my favorite of all time. No, it’s not my favorite in a grinning, happy kind of way, but just in that it is an incredibly interesting photo, one that thankfully allowed us to see an amazing act of conviction.

Not much to say.

The monk’s name is Thich Quang Duc, and he performed this act of self-immolation as a protest against the persecution of his Buddhist people by the South Vietnam government. This photo, taken on an otherwise ordinary day in 1963, was seen throughout the world. I had this picture as a poster on my wall in college. Sure, it was a Rage Against the Machine poster (they used it as their cover art), but I wanted to be reminded on a regular basis what it looks like to be truly dedicated to your beliefs. This man SET HIMSELF ON FIRE for his beliefs, and so that those weaker than him could continue to practice Buddhism in peace.

It just makes me wonder if I could have the same commitment to something, and if anyone nowadays would take such a frightful stand for their beliefs. This man meditated on this act for a number of weeks so that when he lit the match, he did not waver from the lotus position. Journalist David Halberstam witnessed the event, and was quoted with the following:

I was to see that sight again, but once was enough. Flames were coming from a human being; his body was slowly withering and shriveling up, his head blackening and charring. In the air was the smell of burning human flesh; human beings burn surprisingly quickly. Behind me I could hear the sobbing of the Vietnamese who were now gathering. I was too shocked to cry, too confused to take notes or ask questions, too bewildered to even think… As he burned he never moved a muscle, never uttered a sound, his outward composure in sharp contrast to the wailing people around him.