Cambodia: A lesson in humility

(This post was originally published on http://www.masterpeace.org/blogs/post/cambodia_a_lesson_in_humility)

This blog is a reflection on a recent trip to Cambodia in Aug 2013 in the context of studying the history of genocide and development of eco-tourism, apart from understanding the peace building process. As an organisation development and capacity building professional, the country was disturbing for me, yet fascinating at the same time. At the end, I am glad to say, the hope and fascination superseded the disturbance...

Pol Pot aimed to establish Year Zero by destroying human, social, economic and political developments in Cambodia. As a foreigner, it is very tempting to say that he did indeed succeed. If we were to look at Cambodia from the narrow frame of the Khmer Rouge regime and the recovery thereafter, it does feel like a nation going through a silent, unforgiving, chronic PTSD.

But that is a naïve judgment. The fact that human beings continue to live in that country in spite of their past, the fact that they reproduce, the fact that they earn, and the fact that they invite others into their country and are willing to be witnessed as fellow human beings who survived the irrationality of a few people – all these scream out loud to say, do not judge. Learn from Cambodia, instead.

As an external observer, it is common to look at a post-conflict scenario and try to establish who the victims and perpetrators were. A conditioned mind is trained to take sides and to evoke the ‘right’ emotions of empathy, compassion, caring – all of which make us feel human. But then, in the process of doing that, we are only trying to prove our humanity to ourselves, while using the scenario – Cambodia, in this case – as a tool. The country does not need our judgments. It only needs to be acknowledged as a living organism that lives beyond a violation and needs time to catch up on growth.

In a globalised world, what happens in one country does have an impact on the rest of the world. It is natural, therefore, for the world to intervene in Cambodia and want to help it to catch up. But it is necessary that while we do that, we are doubly cautious of overcoming our limited frame of mind. One of the most impacting, albeit a very tiny part of my trip, was watching half a movie at DC-Cam (Documentation Center of Cambodia) based on the musical scene in the country before the Khmer Rouge regime. It was a stark reminder of the fact that there existed a thriving, prosperous place and culture before Pol Pot, that had all the aspirations and hopes that any other country does. Pol Pot succeeded in establishing Year Zero in the foreign minds, as he made us forget that Cambodia had a past before him. But thankfully, Cambodians have not forgotten.

The innate human need for growth has made them live when there was no reason to live. It has made them produce children in a place where it was difficult to envision the future of a child. For this reason alone, Cambodians have been victorious. They are not the victims of their past. They are what emerged despite their past.

Yes, the current polity and governance leaves a lot to be desired. The scope for development across board is huge and corruption and vested interested among politicians are rampant, as is the case across the world. The practical issues arising out of the fact that NGOs do more for the country than the government does, certainly need to be addressed and corrected. But as peace workers, it is important to approach these issues from the right angle.

The easy, tempting and popular angle is to view the populace as being incapable of good decision making in view of the chronic PTSD. That view explains the sheer number of NGOs wanting to offer service to the country. However, they may have caused more harm than good by living with an assumption.

In 1979, it was perhaps correct to assume that the country was indeed stressed and needed help at all levels – politically, economically, socially and psychologically. But true altruism would have been to build capacities within the structure to help the people move beyond their past. Instead, an entire industry has emerged to ensure that Cambodia stays glued to its past, simply to justify the presence and commerce of institutions that have formed to ‘help’.

The beacons of hope, as I see it, are the Cambodian youth and children, who are willing and wanting to move beyond an identity imposed on them by legacy. They are guided well by some senior elder citizens who have survived the tortures during 1975-79, and refuse to stay stuck with the label of being a victim. The foundations laid by people likeYouk Chhang, Thun Saray, Soth Plai Ngarm, Koul Panha, etc. will go a long way in building the nation of their dreams. It may take time, and they may or may not live to see it. But the seeds of emotional freedom are sown in the minds of the generation to whom the future belongs.

Personally, through my stay there, I was undulating between the conditioned responses of depression and pity and being a neutral observer. It was difficult to be hopeful then, as the rational mind looked at the current political situation and wondered if there is any cause for hope at all. But as I step back now, and recall the determination in the eyes of the youth and smiles on the faces of children, I am hopeful. Building a nation needs rationale and logic. But the willingness to build it calls for an irrational, humane sense of hope, and the Cambodians have this. They were brought down by an irrational need for destruction in the past. They can spring back up with the irrational force of aspiration, combined with rational creation of structures to manage the country better.

Cambodia for me has been a lesson in humility. It has been a personal journey in understanding my tendencies to judge, to identify with victims, to hang on to the past. It has made me understand that I as a person would not want to be slotted into one event or incident in my past and be labelled with it. Neither would a country of fellow human beings want that. Even if that event has had a huge impact on my growth, I am not my past, I am one that survived my past. Similarly, Cambodia is not Khmer Rouge, it is a nation that has survived it.

There is a lot to look forward to. From a logical perspective, the near future may not be a cakewalk for Cambodia. They have a lot to catch up with. Like a lot of other countries, Cambodia needs a real government – the one that is interested in nation building as against vested interests. It needs good, non-political educational institutions. The people need infrastructure and basic amenities. In a way, the advent of the AEC in 2015 will push the nation towards these developments, whether or not the government is willing. It may be economically difficult for people in the next few years. But they will cope. The youth is incredibly determined to change their lives, and hopefully, this determination will carry them through, even if it takes a little while.

I have mixed feelings about the commercialised tourism at the killing fields and Toul Sleng. In a way, it helps the world confront its nihilistic tendencies. It makes us aware of the fact that we are capable of what Pol Pot did - should we not guard our behaviour at all times? At the same time, a part of me questions whether mindless tourism of a graveyard is respectful to those that lost their lives. It also makes me question if we are evoking sympathy and sadness for a country that does not need it. Cambodians need understanding and hope, not a reinforcement of their past.

The decision to permit tourism in graveyards is a question that all of us as human beings need to ponder over. What is it that attracts us to such ventures? What is it that makes us averse to the idea? The answers will vary from one person to another. But hopefully it will make us aware of our conditioning and intentions as human beings and help us be more mindful in the future.