Written by Dr. A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Guam Pacific Daily News
16th March, 2011
A quotation familiar to many -- "All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" -- is attributed to Anglo-Irish statesmen Edmund Burke, who supported the cause of the American Revolution and criticized the French Revolution.
Another statement I have often quoted, "The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it," was offered by the Nobel Prize winning American physicist Albert Einstein.
And perhaps French playwright Moliere summed up best who's accountable: "It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do."
We are today in the year 2011. The world has changed and would be an unfamiliar place, indeed to the sages of centuries past. Yet French critic Alphonse Karr said long ago, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose" -- "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
I, as you, am a product of so many things I've learned from the words and the experiences of the men and women who have walked life paths I never knew. As I connect what wise men and women have expressed in the past to my contemporary thinking, I choose to think that although "things" have changed physically, "c'est la meme chose" as long as our thinking, attitudes, and values resist change.
Change
Change is inevitable, we know. I told my students endlessly that even if we don't do anything, things will change, but not necessarily to our liking. Because while we sit, others don't, and others still are diligent. They bring the change they want to see -- which may be different from what we want.
Ironically, the great philosopher Gautama Buddha was not only a critical thinker, he was an activist. He never taught man to wait for the next life to change. Man can take action now. if he is passive, then he can be sure that his destiny will be his fate. In his words, "I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act."
He taught man, "To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. " He warned that man is responsible for his fate: "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path." Buddha counseled: "Work out your own salvation."
Buddha's precept, "What we think, we become," tells man he has a choice. We choose through our thoughts: "Through our thoughts we make the world," affirmed Buddha.
It is sad that some Khmers found my writing on Buddha's teaching as "preaching" to others. Oh dear. Pol Pot and Hitler are dead. No one can force anyone to read anything. We live in the United States, where First Amendment rights are inviolable.
Our choice
I often note that the pleasure I gain from producing columns comes from learning that someone has benefited from reading them. After all, I spent much of my professional life as a teacher.
The weekly feedback I receive is usually (but not always) positive. But to know I have regular readers is satisfying and makes the time spent researching and writing each week worthwhile. Sometimes what people read here starts a new conversation, sparks a new idea, illuminates a fresh perspective. When we are intellectually challenged, our mind continues to ask essential questions.
Eventually, we arrive at a panorama of options from which we can choose.
Recall the words of the seventh secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan: "To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there." There's a lot to learn if one engages in quality thinking.
Some quotations familiar to regular readers continue to enrich my life: "Don't compare yourself with others. You have no idea what their journey is all about." And I like what has been attributed to Native American sources: "Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his moccasins."
They teach me empathy and humility. That's how I learn and develop, and I don't think God is yet finished with me.
Help or hindrance?
In a competitive, modern world that requires our creativity and innovation, if we are to remain afloat, Cambodian democrats must give serious thought to what Khmer Buddhism and Khmer traditions help and what they hinder in terms of development and progress.
I think Buddha's thoughts help. Unfortunately, as a prominent Khmer Buddhist monk in Cambodia quietly lamented, Cambodian Buddhists appear ignorant of Lord Buddha's thoughts and what he was actually teaching. The monk wasn't sure how many monks themselves truly understand Buddha's thoughts and teaching.
And there is little doubt that the Khmer traditions -- from beliefs in blind obedience, to beliefs in class, status, rank and role relationships that fossilize the superior-inferior, master-servant, leader-follower distinctions -- are not helping to develop and modernize the Khmer nation.
They may even hasten Cambodia's doom.
In the final analysis, the future of the Khmer nation rests in the hands of the young generation of Khmers who must decide and dictate which road to development and progress Cambodians need to take.
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.
A quotation familiar to many -- "All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" -- is attributed to Anglo-Irish statesmen Edmund Burke, who supported the cause of the American Revolution and criticized the French Revolution.
Another statement I have often quoted, "The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it," was offered by the Nobel Prize winning American physicist Albert Einstein.
And perhaps French playwright Moliere summed up best who's accountable: "It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do."
We are today in the year 2011. The world has changed and would be an unfamiliar place, indeed to the sages of centuries past. Yet French critic Alphonse Karr said long ago, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose" -- "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
I, as you, am a product of so many things I've learned from the words and the experiences of the men and women who have walked life paths I never knew. As I connect what wise men and women have expressed in the past to my contemporary thinking, I choose to think that although "things" have changed physically, "c'est la meme chose" as long as our thinking, attitudes, and values resist change.
Change
Change is inevitable, we know. I told my students endlessly that even if we don't do anything, things will change, but not necessarily to our liking. Because while we sit, others don't, and others still are diligent. They bring the change they want to see -- which may be different from what we want.
Ironically, the great philosopher Gautama Buddha was not only a critical thinker, he was an activist. He never taught man to wait for the next life to change. Man can take action now. if he is passive, then he can be sure that his destiny will be his fate. In his words, "I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act."
He taught man, "To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent. " He warned that man is responsible for his fate: "No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path." Buddha counseled: "Work out your own salvation."
Buddha's precept, "What we think, we become," tells man he has a choice. We choose through our thoughts: "Through our thoughts we make the world," affirmed Buddha.
It is sad that some Khmers found my writing on Buddha's teaching as "preaching" to others. Oh dear. Pol Pot and Hitler are dead. No one can force anyone to read anything. We live in the United States, where First Amendment rights are inviolable.
Our choice
I often note that the pleasure I gain from producing columns comes from learning that someone has benefited from reading them. After all, I spent much of my professional life as a teacher.
The weekly feedback I receive is usually (but not always) positive. But to know I have regular readers is satisfying and makes the time spent researching and writing each week worthwhile. Sometimes what people read here starts a new conversation, sparks a new idea, illuminates a fresh perspective. When we are intellectually challenged, our mind continues to ask essential questions.
Eventually, we arrive at a panorama of options from which we can choose.
Recall the words of the seventh secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan: "To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there." There's a lot to learn if one engages in quality thinking.
Some quotations familiar to regular readers continue to enrich my life: "Don't compare yourself with others. You have no idea what their journey is all about." And I like what has been attributed to Native American sources: "Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his moccasins."
They teach me empathy and humility. That's how I learn and develop, and I don't think God is yet finished with me.
Help or hindrance?
In a competitive, modern world that requires our creativity and innovation, if we are to remain afloat, Cambodian democrats must give serious thought to what Khmer Buddhism and Khmer traditions help and what they hinder in terms of development and progress.
I think Buddha's thoughts help. Unfortunately, as a prominent Khmer Buddhist monk in Cambodia quietly lamented, Cambodian Buddhists appear ignorant of Lord Buddha's thoughts and what he was actually teaching. The monk wasn't sure how many monks themselves truly understand Buddha's thoughts and teaching.
And there is little doubt that the Khmer traditions -- from beliefs in blind obedience, to beliefs in class, status, rank and role relationships that fossilize the superior-inferior, master-servant, leader-follower distinctions -- are not helping to develop and modernize the Khmer nation.
They may even hasten Cambodia's doom.
In the final analysis, the future of the Khmer nation rests in the hands of the young generation of Khmers who must decide and dictate which road to development and progress Cambodians need to take.
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.
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