Where there's life, there's hope??

There is a proverb that says “where there’s life, there’s hope.” While in many cases this saying holds true, it is indisputable that the same statement may run into a bit of a problem in Kampuchea.

The word “hope” denotes a sense of aspiration, but what is there to aspire when the opportunity to do so is severely limited. Take a boy who picks up “trashes” in the Phnom Penh’s dumping ground as an example, what is the chance of him, and the multitude like him, to evolve from his present state to the one comparable to that so enjoy by my kids and yours? I’d say pretty, pretty slim.

The Buddha theorized that all conditioned things are dependent upon “other” things for them to come to be. He called this Dependance Origination. In other words, for this to exist, that has to exist first; for this to cease to exist, that has to first cease to exist. For a fire to start, first there must be other materials like wood, spark, oxygen, etc.

If you were the woman who begs on the beach of O Chheu Teal for foods to feed your hungry baby, what chance do you have to rid yourself of this nightmare that has become your reality, the reality that you and your baby live out day to day? If you were that woman, in order for you to have a sense of hope or ambition, the right condition(s) must exist for you to dare to have such a pipe dream.

Given the current state of being in Kampuchea, I’d say that “conditions” for unceasing state of penury exceed those of “good opportunity.” The “conditions” do not (yet?) exist for you to formulate the thoughts of having the ability to free yourself from the present harrowing conditions.

Be that as it may, if we were to take out (or perhaps even to reduce) some components that help produce the unfavorable circumstances, we ought to see also an improvement (if only by a fraction) in the lives of those distressed people. I need not elaborate what those adverse conditions are, for they are far too many to describe here. Instead I should just mention a few conditions by which the life of a country could be reenergized:

* When Khmers realize that the only barrier to success are discipline and the extent of one's talent.

* When both the privileges and the disqualifications of class (the really rich and the really poor) have been abolished and Khmers have shattered the bond which once held them immobile, the idea of progress comes naturally into each Khmer's mind.

When the middle class is the larger than either the rich or the poor.

* When the desire to rise swell in every heart at once, and all Khmers want to quit their former social position, that is when Nak Sre no longer want to be called Nak Sre or the rich kids no longer want to be labeled as such.

* When any man's son may become the equal of any other man's son.

Etcetera, etcetera...

Needless to say, these conditions depend on other conditions for them to arise. Most of these must be initiated from the top of the food chain, namely from those who are in the position to make changes. These people must see that their very existence depends upon those who are living at the bottom and at the middle tiers of society. These two groups must be seen as assets rather than liabilities.

However, after all that is said and done, the truth remains: the lack of moral standards at the top echelon mixing with the absence of self-worth at the bottom produce a phenomenon that further degenerate the spirit and the hope of the general populace as a whole. It further perpetuates the vicious cycle of misery that will eventually deplete mother Kampuchea of her talented sons and daughters.

Where there’s life, there’s hope. Yes, it is true. It could be true. However, hopes depend on other factor to help bring them to fruition, just as a seed depends on good soil, nutrients, and water. Without those conditions, a hope is just another fallacy.