Jack Myint, Part 1

Episode #174: Jack Myint’s story begins with his attempts to learn English, which was no easy feat coming from a lower middle-class background, and in a country that had intentionally restricted English language instruction. Early on, he relied on the phrases his father taught him during taxi rides and recited them phonetically to foreign tourists at Shwedagon Pagoda, even though he didn't fully understand their meaning.

As Jack's language skills improved, his parents managed to find English CDs and videotapes, and his remarkable journey of becoming self-taught before he was seven years old eventually caught the attention of famed author, Ma Thanegi, at The Myanmar Times. But even at that young age, Jack had to come to terms the harsh reality of living under a military dictatorship, as his lack of freedoms and need for self-censorship became evident.

Jack's insatiable thirst for knowledge later found solace at the American Center, where he immersed himself in literature and political speeches—George Orwell and Bill Clinton were his favorites, respectively. Other impactful lessons came from his tutelage at the foot of Shwe Nya Nwar Sayadaw, who taught him about the struggle against military governance and the complexities of monastic politics.

Jack came to recognize how the military was exploiting Buddhism by using nationalist rhetoric to co-opt monks as messengers of their propaganda. The rise of anti-Muslim sentiment and the military's effective use of social media, particularly Facebook, further divided the country.

During Myanmar's transition period, Jack witnessed the hunger for a better life among the people. However, economic growth seemed to bypass many Bamar Buddhists, leading to a resurgence of racial and religious identity, which played into the military's hands.