Wynn Allen Bruce was a 50-year-old climate activist and practicing Buddhist from Boulder, Colorado. On Saturday, he set himself on fire on the steps of the Supreme Court. While no one may understand fully why he did it, it is thought that his frustration over governmental inaction on global climate change legislation was why he chose to end his life in such a dramatic way after about a year of planning for it. Martyr for a cause, a person with psychological problems, a true believer, whatever he was, he is no longer.
We have a long history of canaries in the coal mine that remind us that it is only through action that the politics are pushed to make a change. People like Bruce sacrifice their own lives to make a difference in a world that can be largely indifferent to the obvious. Every day, we see the evidence of our changing climate, in small and large ways. The sacrifice of a life to live a purposed life is the stuff of saints. It is only necessitated because we ignore the obvious when it suits us. Certainly, we can point to all kinds of atrocities to make that point. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote that “to burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with utmost courage, frankness, determination and sincerity.”
In honor of this man's struggle, a man I did not know but now feel I owe a debt, I ask you to take a moment and reach out to your members of Congress. Say his name when you write your email or letter and ask for action on global climate change in whatever way it moves you. Let us all be canaries today.
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