â Ever cried for your country?

â
-BAN WHI MIN
â SEP 11 - Nepalese complain about the caste system and corrupt officers. They open
ly vent their anger against the government. But have they ever thought about Nep
al's real problems? I believe that they have not. I want to say that Nepal's rea
l problems are lack of patriotism among the people and lack of love for one anot
her. This is the conclusion I have reached during my stay. This summer, I did vo
luntary work from July 5 to July 30 at FHI Ever Vision School, Matatirtha, Kathm
andu.
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 Ko
reans, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Without natural reso
urces, Korea had no choice but to desperately struggle for its survival by all m
eans. Under this gloomy situation, Koreans envied other Asian countries like Jap
an, Taiwan, and Nepal.
Korean government officials were horribly corrupt. With the dual classes of Yang
ban (nobles) and Sangnom (peasants), Korean society was sickening day by day. Ho
wever, Koreans, having determination to become rich, overcame the unfair social
structure and put the country onto the track of development. When the former pre
sident Park Jung Hee took over the government, there were few factories in Korea
. Korea could not attract loans or expect foreign investments. Under these circu
mstances, President Park 'exported' miners and nurses to then West Germany. The
salaries that they earned were used to building factories and promoting industri
alization of Korea.
In 1964, when President Park visited then West Germany, the miners and nurses as
ked the president when the Koreans would become rich. The president replied, cry
ing 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 d
etermination 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 wou
ld have received in other countries. The Koreans believed that they have the abi
lity to change their desperate situation and that they must make the country bet
ter, not only for themselves but also for the future generations yet to come. My
parents' generation sacrificed themselves for their families and the country. T
hey worked 14 hours a day, and risked their lives working under inhumane conditi
ons. The mothers, who went to work in factories, fed their babies while operatin
g 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 y
ou 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 developme
nt, not the first ones to complain and speak against their country. I have a dre
am that someday I would be able to free the souls from suffering from the underd
eveloped countries, anachronistic customs and the desperate hunger. My belief ha
s 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 chil
d living in what seems like a pre-historic dwelling and not having the opportuni
ty 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 wa
ste 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 hund
reds of thousands of gods while doing nothing. It is the action that you and Nep
al need for the better future. For Nepal and yourselves, you have to show your l
ove to your neighbors and country just as you do to Gods. You know that your God
s will be pleased when you work for the development of your country and improvem
ent of your lives. Therefore, please, love your neighbors and country. Teach you
r 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 respe
ct 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 futur
e. This responsibility lies on you.
(The writer is a 15 year-old student of Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies, South
Korea).