"Ever cried for your country?"
By BAN WHI MIN

Nepalese
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. Nepalese! 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 labour 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 Nepalese 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 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 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).

This was posted here many years ago. I was totally against it and I even commented many harsh words against him. But now, it seems he's very true.
Keep in mind, South Koreans are predomently Christians now and they uphold the Judio-Christian values. They have endured many atrocities in the past, not just from their civil war, but the war with Japanes and American cost them dearly. The Japanese were the worst against the Korean, they made thousands of Korean women as sex slave for their army in the camp.Yet, they moved on.

you have to think about the geographical and historical events about s.korea. first, its a peninsula (COASTLINE) and secondly, it's close to BEIJING and SHANGHAI. of course US of A will show interest if there is a country that they can station their soldiers so close to those major cities. i mean s.korea is developed because of USA and both of the countries benefits from each other. korea gets the wealth and US gets the security. but what has nepal got to offer to a foreign land? not much. nothing at all. nepal is on its own and developing a poor country without any resources or help is, well tough. but i do believe that UNITY among the population is the only way to prosper a country. its like a family, you can fight through any financial difficulties if you have the support from the family.

We always have to point our fingers and blame it to somebody else. If it is not the spoiled leaders (who we elected by ourselves), then it is India. Sometime it is China and sometime it is water, sometime is the ocean. If none of those work, blame the damn American, EASY. When are we going to take the blame instead?
If just being America can make you rich, there are more than 500+ US military worldwide. By that account, the whole world should be as rich as Koreans. I don't understand why Kenya, Ethipia, Ghana and Djibiti which has strong American base cannot prosper after so many years. Hmmmmm

Not any more and I am getting used to of it. I mean it is as a part of our life.

Once we set a side the ethic then nothing will stop it. How we going to acquire ETHIC, should be the main focus, rest will be taken care.

I guess everyone commenting here are missing the point.
All we Nepalese do not have love for our country. None of us living abroad are ready to go back and serve the country. Neither the one who are in the country are ready to make "real" contribution. Every country have problem but our seems unique. A hapless nation with no natural resource, ever growing population, corrupt leaders, nothing to offer the foreigners, and lazy/day dreaming citizens.
I feel sad but I also fall on the same category.

until and unless whole Nepalese thinks we should make bring a change in Nepal starting form themselves....it is less likely to achieve what is discussed above....only returning of ppl who are living abroad or only their commitment does not gonna change the present scenario...

korea = 90% korean

nepal = bahun, xhetri, tamang, newar, bhotay, madhisay + 1000s other groups


conclusion?
racially homogeneous societies have less trouble of all sorts.

For those who cant cry for Nepal, at least feeling sorry and sad soul upon this you tube profile is pay homage to the ideal quest and the remarkable history..... 

i agree with rid. 

I seriously doubt that this article is written by a 15 year old korean. first of all, Korean people's English suck. Even phd students flunk ESL classes in the usa and lots of them return after esl classes cuz they can't even get admitted to a regular program. and here comes a 15 year old kid, who being a minor went to some remote place in Nepal and did voluntary work, and suprisingly has a better English than any 15 year old from UK or USA. if it's a translation , then the translator did a very good job of putting their own ideas and compositions to come up with a conviniencing letter.

Again, Korean is not the most developed country in the world. go around a few blocks of your neighborhood and you will see how many proud koreans are in their liquor store or dry cleaner chasing dollars just like everyone.It's a nature of humans to try to make their current situation better and immigation is a part of it. what's one of the properties of mammals you learned on the fourth grade? yes , mammals move from place to place to survive or make it better. so are Nepalis just like everyone , so nothing bad on that.

North Korea is still starving. see some videos on youtube. they are koreans too, but they did not benefit from the west. if Koreans were such hard workers then why is north korea so under developed? they are same race, same people just divided into two , one gets special treatment from the powerul and other don't. Development has needs more than patrotiasm and there are lots of other factors.

citizenary comes with a feeling of belonging to a larger group, you get benefit from being a citizen and in return you contrubute and have some responsibility. in that sense, we Nepali get very less benefit from our citizenary and we contrubute less too. So our country is not poor or backward because we don't love our country like koreans , but there are lot of other factors.

मेरो कल्पना म किन् during 1997 economy world pitfall, Korean `s recall their citizen  all around the world to poll help, especialy women, by pawning thier gold and jewelery and send money back home to support the fasten economy recovery....जस्तो थियो , तेमे मान्छे, तिम्रो मन् को नजर् म बहन छ।।.. ....http://www.intercooperation.ch/finance/themes/2003/pawnshops.pdf