The following article was recently published on the Kathmandu Post. The writer is a 15 year-old student of Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies, South Korea.
Intesresting....


Ever cried for your country?
By BAN WHI MIN

- 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. 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 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), Korean society was sickening day by day. However, Koreans, having 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 building factories and promoting 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 of Korean scientists and engineers, who could just enjoy comfortable lives 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 these hard works and sacrifices made the prosperous Korea that you see now.

Nepalis, have you ever cried for your country? I heard that many of Nepali youth do not love their Nepal. I also heard that they want to leave Nepal because they don't like 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 labor in a brick factory to feed herself.

Looking at the reality of Nepal, I was despaired, 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 the action that you and Nepal need for the better future.

For Nepal and yourselves, you have to show your love to your neighbors 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 neighbors and country. Teach your children to love their country. And love the working itself.

Who do you think will cry for your Nepal? Who do you think will be able to respect the spirit of Himalayas 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).
source: http://click.here

It's such a shame to see no one has bother to leave any feed back here when I see lots of BAKWAS thread with lots of feedback. This shows how much we love our Nepal. I guess the topic of this thread is not to the standard for the regular Sajha readers.

The kid of 15 yrs old got more knowledge than what we have. Yes, we nepalese do lack patriotism, even i do. as soon as i say that, i imagine people reading this and hitting the reply button to say yes i am patriotic, i think about my country and love my country. but thats not the real patriotism i believe. i even myself don't know what it is. i love nepal, never wanted to come to US in first place, but when i got here, i see a brighter future for my self and my family. Even though Korea was poor and Koreans wasn't rich, i don't believe they had guirellas fighting over and make it hard to reach the underdeveloped parts of their country. of course, there is Mobs and gangsters in all parts of the country, but getting shot in the head just because you told a woman that she should not suffer because of her husband, stand up for yourself and whatever..

I too, have a dream that, someday nepal will be rich and prosperous. But look at the distance Korea has come thru, from East West Germany, then berlin wall, and now...Nepal has a long way to go, if it survives, and does not get sold to India from own King or Prime ministers or ministers.
People do want to go back to nepal, know very few, who has achieved high knowledge in this country, and want to go to nepal to teach people and help it develop in rural parts of our country. but only thing they fear is Maoists. No one wants to walk to their own death. They want to teach people new ideas, not die!
So people should act when the time is right, i guess. Just like Tribhuwan did, to bring democracy in our country in 2007BS.

I have to say that I agree with Redstone on this one. There would be several people willing to go back to nepal and work for the country if they did not have a direct threat to their lives. I admit that everyone is selfish and would not like to put their head in a lion's mouth and thats the way it is. I guess if it was something that could be controllable then people would be willing to do something about it. But in Nepal, you dont know what is going to happen next. The govt. and maoist start a peace talk and in middle of it (due to some reason), it stopd and there are about 4-5 bombs in public places.

If someone is rich they are asked for a ranson my the maoist team, and their money is not used in the social cause that it could have been. It is rather spent on the arms. The same goes to the government. Does it use the donation it gets to end the hunger of the poor? No it doesnot. taxi drivers are being shot by the army for bumping into their truck bacause the army "thought that they were terrorist." An old man gets killed in front of his family. A newly wedded husband gets slayed in front of his wife of a week.. and what is the reason? The reason only is that they were in the way of that moists when they were attempting to kill someone else.

A man of 70 years old is taken to the temple and is cut into pieces before finally getting his head cut off from his body. A woman is raped in front of all her elders. A farmer is asked to dig his own grave on gunpoint and is burried alive! In the middle of the night a troop of army enters your house and searched every single inch.. throwing your clothes and belongings everywhere, just to see if you have a moisthidden in there. And even though they are searching everywhere, helpers are slaying their elderly house owners. All of this when I was there just for a year.

I still feel the hurt for the 14 year old boy who had to drive his father to the hospital who had been shot by the maoists. The bodyguard was hiding under a car all the time when the maoist shot the man several times. Do u think people would be willing to go back? If it was something like the Indian revolution for freedom then there might have been some people willing to help. But when it is an act of killing the chilren, old folks and other innocent people what can be done? Would anyone like to go there knowing that there is almost nothing that can be done?

Well harsh as it might sound, it is true! I have not really stayed in Nepal long. the time I was there it was hard for me to understand and later when I did understand I was in a boarding school. I would say that I can die for my country. I think I exaggerated. I admit that I might go back had the conditions been different but they are not. Humans are too selfish guided by an instnct of survival. What more can I say?

HA: 15 YEAR OLD'S VIEWS ???

DEAR Rythm:

whatever u said is quite pleasing in words. But can u please stay aloof from Indian ties; please do not link our country to at least INDIANS !!!