A symbolic, artful action can have actual consequences and, in the case of Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan, lead to a revolution. Pashinyan initiated  the Velvet Revolution on March 31, 2018 when he began his Im Kayl walk across Armenia in protest of the continuing rule of former President Serzh Sargsyan. As Pashinyan walked through various towns and cities, his symbolic act of protest became a recruiting tool, and thousands of protesters joined him as he entered the capital city of Yerevan.

From there, mass protests and civil disobedience shut down the city, government, and country until the Sargsyan resigned and Congress appointed Pashinyan Prime Minister. This was not a coup by Pashinyan. There was no nefarious plot to take over the government. What his Im Kayl demonstrates is that political willpower can be concentrated and generated in surprising ways. Because of this, one must never hesitate to take the first step of protest.