A letter from Korea
By BAN WHI MIN
Who do you think will cry for your Nepal? Who do you think will be able to respect the spirit of the Himalaya and to keep the lonely flag representing it?
Nepalis complain about the caste system and corrupt officers. They openly vent their anger against the government. But have they ever thought About Nepal's real problems? I believe that they have not. I want to say that Nepal's real problems are lack of patriotism among the people and lack of love for one another. This is the conclusion I have reached during my stay in Nepal. This summer, I did voluntary work from July 5 to July 30 at FHI Ever Vision School, Matatirtha, Kathmandu.
Let me first tell you about my country, Korea. This might help you understand my point. Just after the Korean War, which claimed the lives of more than 5 million Koreans, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Without natural resources, Korea had no choice but to desperately struggle for its survival by all means. Under this gloomy situation, Koreans envied other Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, and Nepal. Korean government officials were horribly corrupt.
With the dual classes of Yangban (nobles) and Sangnom (peasants), the Korean society was sickening day by day. However, Koreans, having a determination to become rich, overcame the unfair social structure and put the country onto the track of development.
When the former president Park Jung Hee took over the government, there were few factories in Korea. Korea could not attract loans or expect foreign investments. Under these circumstances, President Park 'exported' miners and nurses to then West Germany. The salaries that they earned were used to build factories and promote the industrialization of Korea.
In 1964, when President Park visited then West Germany, the miners and nurses asked the president when the Koreans would become rich. The president replied, crying with the miners and nurses, that someday the Koreans would become rich. Many Korean scientists and engineers, who could enjoy a comfortable life in the United States, returned to Korea with only one thing in their mind: the determination to make Korea the most powerful and prosperous country in the world.
They did their best even though their salaries were much less than what they would have received in other countries. The Koreans believed that they have the ability to change their desperate situation and that they must make the country better, not only for themselves but also for the future generations yet to come.
My parents' generation sacrificed themselves for their families and the country. They worked 14 hours a day, and risked their lives working under inhumane conditions. The mothers, who went to work in factories, fed their babies while operating machines in dangerous environments. They always tried to teach their children the true value of 'hard work'. Finally, all of this hard work and sacrifice made the prosperous Korea that you see now.
Nepalis, have you ever cried for your country? I heard that many of the Nepali youth do not love their Nepal. I also heard that they want to leave Nepal because they don't like the caste system, or because they want to escape the severe poverty.
However, they should be the first ones to voluntarily work for Nepal's development, not the first ones to complain and speak against their country. I have a dream that someday I would be able to free the souls from suffering from the underdeveloped countries, anachronistic customs and the desperate hunger. My belief has become stronger than ever after seeing the reality in Nepal.
A child with a fatal disease who doesn't have enough money to buy a pill; a child living in what seems like a pre-historic dwelling and not having the opportunity to receive education; and a student who cannot succeed, no matter how hard he studies, just because of the class he comes from.
A society, in which wives not only take care of children but also work in the fields, while their
husbands waste their time doing nothing; a society in which a five-year-old must labour in a brick factory to feed herself.
Looking at the reality of Nepal, I felt despair; yet this sense of despair strengthened my belief. I already know that many of the Nepalis are devout Hindus. However, nothing happens if you just pray to hundreds of thousands of gods while doing nothing. It is action that you and Nepal need for a better future.
For Nepal and yourselves, you have to show your love to your neighbours and country just as you do to Gods. You know that your Gods will be pleased when you work for the development of your country and improvement of your lives. Therefore, please, love your neighbours and country.
Teach your children to love their country. And love working itself.
Who do you think will cry for your Nepal? Who do you think will be able to respect the spirit of the Himalaya and to keep the lonely flag representing it? You are the ones responsible for leading this beautiful country to a much brighter future. This responsibility lies on you.
(The writer is a 15 year-old student of Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies, South Korea)
Posted on: 2006-01-13 07:17:23
