They Walk with Millions

When my legs no longer carry

And the warm wind chills my bones

I reach for Mother Mary

And I shall not walk alone

-- "I Shall Not Walk Alone" by Ben Harper

Many of us have images that are permanently seared into our memories. Images that, no matter how many times we see them, or how much time has passed, evoke strong feelings. There are photos that never fail to bring a smile, like the “Kissing Sailor” celebrating the end of World War II, and ones that break our hearts every time we see them, like the “Falling Man,” from one of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001. These images never leave us. The photo of “Tank Man” (below) in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, is one of those images for me.

By chance, I stumbled across the iconic photo the other day while googling the song, “I Shall Not Walk Alone,” sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama. Someone on YouTube had created a photo montage video of inspiring historical figures set to the song. Alongside Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other well-known historical figures, the video shows the unknown Chinese man who stood alone in front of a column of People’s Liberation Army tanks.

Every time I see that photo it takes me aback. Who was that man? What inspired him to step in front of those tanks? From where does courage like that come? And, finally, whatever happened to him?

We may never know the answers to these questions, though it is likely that his fate wasn’t a happy one. Tank Man’s defiance came the morning after the Chinese government ordered its military to stop the Tiananmen Square democracy protests by force, killing thousands in the process. A government that clears away protestors with tanks and stifles free speech does not take kindly to such dissent.

There are differing reports about who Tank Man was. One contemporary news report said he was a 19-year-old student. For its part, the Chinese government has made few public comments about the man, except to say that they did not know his identity or his fate. No matter who he was, or what happened to him, the mystery surrounding the man has only enhanced his legend, and the impact of the photo.

Serendipity may have led me to see the photo of Tank Man again, but I applaud the creator of the YouTube video montage. “I Shall Not Walk Alone” is a hauntingly beautiful song. With lyrics simultaneously sad and hopeful, weary and strong, it is the perfect song to honor courageous people, especially ones who acted selflessly.

Heroic actions highlight the best of humanity.

More often than not, heroes do not know that they are acting heroically at the time. They just act. Whatever the reason or motivation - love, compassion, or duty - they act. Heroic actions highlight the best of humanity. We need these examples because it is far too easy to focus on the worst of humanity, like the slaughter of thousands of people calling for democracy in a city square.

Tank Man walked alone that day. Or perhaps he only walked alone in that moment. When brave dissidents smuggled the photo and accompanying video out of China, he no longer walked alone. He walked with millions. Thirty-one years later, the photo continues to resonate and inspire people around the world, as it still does for me. Many of today’s heroes are people like Tank Man – people who, though oppressed, act and stand up for freedom and justice. Tank Man showed us that they, too, shall not walk alone.