It is easy to blame others.
But today,lets see our image as reflected form eyes of a foreign student and gather some courage to think about ourself and to assess our contribution to our country .
(The writer is a 15 year-old student of Hankuk Academy of Foreign
Studies,South Korea).
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"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 angnom(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.
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