Tank Man.

There are moments in life that require great courage. Many moments. In the best-case scenario, we are lucky to experience 80 years or more of life on this Earth, and that is not a lot of time to test and strengthen our mettle. But enough time to experience countless moments of truth and personal decisions that define who we are at the core, what we represent, and who we will become. We become more confident, determined and defined with every serious challenge and decision. Often we are inspired by stories of those who take a strong stand against a dark or large force under the most grueling circumstances. Sometimes they achieve brilliance and success; sometimes the outcome is far less glamorous. It is simply better to die standing in your boots - than live bowing down on your knees. What moments have defined you? What have you become in the most daunting situations? How strong are your fists - and how many tanks are you willing to stand down?

On the morning of June 4, 1989 a young Chinese student ran into the center of the street in Beijing to stand-down a column of military tanks. Thousands of people, mostly students, had already been brutally murdered in front of his eyes. It defied rational thinking, but his moment of rage and super-human courage literally changed the world. You know this image and the story. We all do. This incredible student refused to let a column of tanks move forward and began striking the lead tank with his bare fists. His despair and rage was so raw and powerful that it literally shook the world to its foundation. Fundamentally, he wasn't changing the game at that moment with those tanks; but shortly after the image of his courage made it onto the world stage it would "bend steel" across the globe and mobilize world leaders- and 6 billion other human beings on the planet- to act. The drama was captured on film by a foreign photographer who was holed-up in the Beijing Hotel off the main square. He snapped a series of photos and quickly slid it into a water-tight container. He then cleverly hid the container in the toilet for safekeeping. Someone had seen him on that hotel balcony taking photographs during the clashes and quickly alerted the police.Shortly after he captured the scene unfold in the Square and hid the roll, Chinese soldiers broke into his room, roughed him up, and ripped the room apart searching for any film. The film they quickly discovered and destroyed was not the film that captured the historic scene. They never thought to look in the toilet. They never found the roll of film that would change the world.

The Chinese Communist government absolutely did not want that embarrassing and remarkable scene to be exposed to the world, especially to the billion Chinese citizens who were clearly more than ready for a fight with their bare hands and a Revolution. That simple Tank Man image would prove that military tanks and bullets can't contain the public outrage and unforgiveable injustices forever. A day of reckoning is coming. The photographer was eventually able to leave the country with his roll of film hidden - and that photo quickly became the front-page image on nearly every newspaper in the world. It sparked a Revolution in both West and East Germany less than 6 months later that resulted in the Berlin Wall being knocked down. The students across Europe were inspired by this brave, young Chinese man and literally tore down the Berlin Wall by hand and hammer that year. Brick by brick. This time the soldiers stood-down and did not dare fire a single shot. The tanks stood silent. We all saw those images on television. And that remarkable event soon became a catalyst for the Soviet Union to fracture and crumble. Soon the Soviet Empire completely disintegrated and released hundreds of millions of people from a form of Communist dictatorship and slavery. Human frustration and immeasurable potential was unleashed. A photograph can be so powerful.

I have been to Tiananmen Square a couple of times over the last decade or so. It is one of the largest public squares in the world and can easily hold several million people. It is quite impressive on many levels; there is an energy and spirit that is strong in that space. Voices of murdered students cries out for justice. If you close your eyes and listen you can feel it. I have enjoyed a leisurely bike ride around the Square near the Forbidden City - in the middle of an army of bicyclists. That is quite an experience. One evening a young Chinese boy was flying a kite near the center of the Square and invited me to join him as I walked by. He was excited to try his English, and I struggled to communicate with him using basic Mandarin. We laughed and talked, and had fun flying a giant kite in the center of this enormous, historic place. It was a beautiful, peaceful evening, and the sun was slowly setting over the Square. Such a sharp contrast to 1989 when millions of Chinese with big hopes and dreams stormed the square and attempted to stand-down their brutal, corrupt government. Tens of thousands probably died from those clashes.The military eventually put down the demonstration after many days of outrage and carnage. One day the Chinese will enjoy democracy - and the government and military leaders involved in that disaster will be held accountable. Hopefully in our lifetime. 

The Tank Man image has been recognized as one of the most powerful images from the 20th century. It remains a mystery as to what happened to the student. Some say he was killed later than day in a clash with soldiers, and some believe he was eventually identified by authorities and died a cruel death in prison. One version is that he eventually made it out of China and now lives quietly in the United States. I hope that one is true. No one is certain. (No one has ever come forward, but a number of students quietly identified him as possibly 19-year old Wang Weilin. Wang has never been found and the Chinese government continues to deny any knowledge of him.) But his courage continues to be a powerful reminder that life can be challenging and brutal at times. Evil does exist in the world, and all that evil needs to grow and thrive is for good people to say and do nothing. People like you and me. One person is powerful. All of the tanks, bullets, and fighter jets in the world are simply no match for 8 billion human beings on this planet with a common sense of decency, a goal, and the courage to act. During those moments when fear grips us and our knees are trembling, may we always think of Tank Man. He modeled courage that day that inspires all of us. I am confident we become more determined and our moments of truth will continue to define us. Maybe even change the world.