Eid Mubarak, Happy Wesak Day, and Happy Birthday to my beloved grand<\/strong>child. Fourteen years ago, in 2012, I wrote an article called \u201cMy DREAMS.\u201d<\/em> At that time, Myanmar was standing at a crossroads. There were faint rays of hope after long decades of military rule. Like many citizens, I dreamed not only of political reform, but also of a future where justice, equality, science, education, meritocracy, and interfaith harmony would shape our nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back then, Artificial Intelligence had not yet entered everyday life. Yet I imagined a future where laws, governance, and decision-making could be guided by transparent systems rather than by corruption, racism, nepotism, or personal whims. I dreamed of a country where even rulers themselves would be bound by law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, some countries are beginning to experiment with AI-assisted governance, digital courts, smart administration, and transparent online systems. What once sounded like science fiction is slowly becoming reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sadly, however, Myanmar\u2019s journey moved in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dreams that once looked possible have, for many people, become nightmares. The hopes born after 2010 were shattered by hatred, mistrust, war, extremism, racial politics, religious manipulation, corruption, and endless cycles of revenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, despite everything, I still refuse to surrender completely to despair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is an old Burmese saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u101e\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1001\u1031\u102b\u1004\u103a\u1011\u1000\u103a \u100a\u1009\u1037\u103a\u1019\u1014\u1000\u103a\u201d Even the longest night eventually moves toward dawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I first wrote \u201cMy DREAMS,\u201d<\/em> I imagined Myanmar in the year 2048 \u2014 exactly one hundred years after independence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I imagined a peaceful federal democratic union where:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I even imagined a future ASEAN Union with free movement, shared prosperity, interconnected highways, educational cooperation, and regional peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some readers laughed at those ideas. Others called them impossible. But history often begins with ideas that first sounded impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin Luther King Jr. once said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n That dream was not fantasy. It was a moral direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Likewise, many freedom movements began as dreams before they became reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One unusual part of my old article was the idea that laws, rules, and administrative decisions would one day become transparent, standardized, and protected from abuse through advanced computer systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At that time, AI was not yet part of ordinary discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But my frustration was simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many developing countries \u2014 especially under authoritarian systems \u2014 laws are often applied differently depending on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I dreamed of a society where:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, technology alone cannot create justice. A corrupt society can also misuse technology. An unjust government can weaponize AI for surveillance and oppression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, ethics, compassion, human rights, and accountability must always remain above machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, the idea itself was not foolish. Even today, many countries are experimenting with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dream was never about replacing humanity. It was about reducing human abuse of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I revisit my old writing today, I feel both sadness and irony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of moving toward reconciliation, Myanmar descended deeper into division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of building trust between communities, hatred multiplied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of creating a truly inclusive federal union, many groups became trapped in cycles of fear, propaganda, revenge, and distrust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Extremists from all sides poisoned public discourse. Moderates became weaker. And ordinary civilians suffered the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Millions lost homes, education, opportunities, security, and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many young people now know only instability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet history teaches us that nations can recover \u2014 even after terrible darkness. Germany recovered after Hitler. Japan rebuilt after war. Bosnia survived genocide. South Africa emerged from apartheid. Cambodia survived Pol Pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recovery is possible when people eventually become exhausted by hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, my dream is much simpler than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I no longer dream mainly about grand highways, futuristic technology, or giant regional federations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My greatest dream now is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A civilized society is not one where everyone thinks alike. A civilized society is one where people with different beliefs can still live together peacefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people mock dreamers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But without dreamers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dreams alone are not enough. But societies without dreams become prisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As long as human beings continue to imagine a better future, hope remains alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And perhaps one day, after this long midnight, Myanmar too may finally see dawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Quran reminds us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n This verse is not only about religion. It is also about responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No nation improves merely by blaming others. Change requires:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life itself teaches us that humanity becomes more beautiful when we learn to celebrate each other\u2019s joys. For decades, I have greeted my Christian friends with \u201cMerry Christmas,\u201d my Buddhist friends during Thingyan and Wesak, and my Hindu friends during Deepavali. Respect for each other\u2019s happiness is one of the foundations of peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The night cannot become darker after midnight.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Dreams of 2012<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nMy Dream of Rule by Law \u2014 Not Rule by Men<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nFrom Hope to Nightmare<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe Most Important Dream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nDreams Still Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nQuran 8:53<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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