Mar. 23, 2011Written by A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS
Man lives and man dies. Nations rise, nations fall. Territories expand, and territories contract. The fate of a nation is to some degree leader-dependent. A leader is the product of his or her thoughts, values, beliefs, all of which influence their actions and decision-making.
But great ideas live on. Today, we still discuss ideas of great philosophers and thinkers who lived hundreds of years before Christ.
For their nation's future, young Khmers should start learning Thomas Jefferson's ideas that all men are created equal with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and what Lord Buddha taught 2,500 years ago, to accept and live up to what agrees with reason and for "the good and benefit of one and all."
'One kilo of brain'
My "one kilo of brain" concept, which I picked up from a teacher in my primary school days, is an anecdote I have referenced here often. Many have felt a need to comment. I come to believe that the Khmers' future depends on how well the young Khmers of today use that one kilo. Progress will take courage and careful
thought.
I learned much from my father, whose ability to simplify complex ideas still astounds me today. He compared the brain to a stomach that contracts when denied food and grows in size when fed. The brain must be fed with its own food: Learn to read, to write, to think, to reflect, to act. My father pounded into my head: "Use the brain, learn and become."
Now I know that quality thinking can be learned and taught, that it determines not only our future but man's very survival. Our current age of cyberspace and Internet revolution helps make learning more available. The only requirement is that one has to want to learn. As the Chinese say, "A teacher can bring the student to the door, he has to go in himself."
'A single man'
"Blah, blah, blah," a reader comments, perhaps without understanding what I write, nor having any desire to learn. Robert F. Kennedy said: "Many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man."
Kennedy mentioned: the young German monk Martin Luther who, at age 34, led the Protestant Revolt; Asia's Ghengis Khan who, at age 44, founded the Mongol Empire; French peasant girl Jeanne d'Arc who, at age 17, rallied France's flagging troops against the English; Italian Christopher Columbus who, at age 41, landed at the Americas; and Thomas Jefferson who, at age 32, authored the Declaration of Independence that proclaimed "all men are created equal."
It took me months to check out each of the individuals Kennedy mentioned, and I have been inspired by them.
As Eric Harvey and Michelle Sedas wrote: "People committed to a cause, form an idea, which produces the spark, which inspires individuals, which grows to impact others, which in turn inspires even more."
Think critically
An e-mail from a reader in Phnom Penh referenced my "one kilo of brain" concept and contended, "Even a best-selected rice seed will not produce any good yield if grown in poor soil and bad environment," and "A bad rice seed may produce some good yield, if grown in good soil and good environment." Fair enough.
Many great thinkers have emerged in dictatorships and struggled against oppressors for rights and liberty -- best seeds in poor soil. Thinking critically provides us with a host of alternatives and options from which to choose.
I believe our capacity for knowledge can be cultivated anywhere, in fertile ground or fallow. Oppressors can chain a man, blindfold him, close his ears, shut his mouth, but a man of strong belief will not stop thinking and, maybe, thinking is the only thing that gives him hope and keeps him alive.
Our determination to question, inquire and investigate is what engages us in the world around us and leads us to undertake change, to better what we find wanting. One who asks no question does not know how to proceed: She or he has disengaged -- died in a figurative way.
Humility
I find it sad and dangerous to observe among some Cambodian bloggers a mood of anti-intellectualism. Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler might have identified the behavior as evidence of "a feeling of inferiority." I am not a psychiatrist and do not purport to know the genesis of the behavior. But I am discouraged by those who reflexively attack those they identify as philosophical. Having a hard-earned acronym attached to my name, evidence of having spent many years in school, seems to call out anger in some readers.
I -- and many of my countrymen -- have been fortunate to have the opportunity to study. For me, that good fortune means I have an obligation to pay back to the country of my birth. I have given years of my life in the armed conflict to bring good, democratic government to Cambodia, without success. I am older now; I contribute through writing.
The path my life has taken has been easier than some, harder than others. We all have something to contribute to making our world a better place. But that contribution is diminished by knee-jerk name calling or criticism that is focused on the three letters after my signature.
We all can do better than that.
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam. Write him at
25 comments:
Great work Dr. Peang-Meth! keep writing. don't get discouraged by critics and haters.
Dr.! is good writing but distubing.
Chose to coplain in too general and from no where!
What kind of your subject that put people off again you, Dr!?
Why should people ( we )feel inferio again you in this centyry? Do all people agree with lord Buddah, Jesus Chrise, or Jefesson?
Do education should leurn by accepting it as 1000 year ago in China or should we talk back, brainstome and may come new idea!
Respectation not by because you have PhD or big title job PROVESSOR!!!! But to say something right at the right time and place!
Try to put your Phd away and understand other who have LESS education than you!!!!!
TO me! Education may come many way than have PhD and be a PROFESSOR!!!!
ThinK Dr>! Do not put peole down with cheaop trick!@
WOW! He is a Dr. From USA! angry with critic??????
That strange to me as refugee in USA!
Are you a hipocrit, DR PhD????
Should we agree and prey all PhD! like Ranarith?
1 kilo of brain + 1 grain of faith the size of a mustard seed could literally move a mountain- Jesus
When you are talking about RANARITH you do you know where the word 'CHAM KOUT LOUNG' caming from?yaers ago in battambang city there was a king family named PRESS MONYVONG.He live at phum dam nak loung'on raod N#10 from battambang to pay lin'.One day a women took the food for her husban who on realroad contraction. Loung Monyvong called her' me neas tei ngegne ban ei si.The women told him she ad chrok makak,Loung said let me taste it.he like it and he his food to her .BATTAMBANG PEOPLE CALLED HIM CHAM KOUT LOUNG.And RANARITH is AH CHHA KOUT LOUNG TOO.
All Khmer people in the World must be united to save CAMBODIA from the Vietnamese, no more land for the Vietnamese. We must protect CAMBODIA now or gone forever liked Khmer Krom.
The Vietnamese never cares how suffering Khmer people are. If they wanted more land they are willing to do anything to get it.
We are Khmer Empire ancestors very soon no more land to live liked Khmer Krom, if we don't do anything to protect CAMBODIA now.
Re: We all can do better than that
Dr. Gaffar hasn't the faintest idea of who's who on Ki-Media (although he owns the freaking blog), yet he appears and sounds a bit upset about the anonymous negative/ destructive/senseless critics and has gone so far as to express it as "...observe among some Cambodian bloggers a mood of anti-intellectualism..."
How sad Dr. Gaffar, but as one of your readers (with lots of admirations and respects of course), I give you a (7) seven (on a scale of 1 to 10) because you are simply and after all a human being just like me!
And yes, you too, Dr. Gaffar, you can do better than that!
P. from Long Beach
"Having a hard-earned acronym attached to my name, evidence of having spent many years in school, seems to call out anger in some readers."
Peang-Meth,
I felt offended. I don't care who you are. Whether you are a beggar or a Phd, I really don't give a damn. What I care is whether or not I can respect your belief and value. To say that people are irritated with your writing because of your education and title is arrogant. Maybe, just maybe, they are angry at your writing because you generalizes them as fools who are not respecting you as an educated person? I'm one of the people who don't your writing, and I can honestly tell you that, your education and title play no part of my anger. It's your belief and your arrogance that I dislike.
Easy with Dr. Peang would you!?
He been a teacher for tooo long!
there is actually a difference between a teacher and a 'lecturer'...I think...
Just to be fair to all, from my understanding, I don't think that Dr. Peang-Meth is personally care whether majority of you respect his writing or not, or whether majority of you respect the little 3 letter behind his name or not. But what he care the most and the problems that he is worry the most is that he see too many Koun Khmers are lacking of "critically thinking" on general issues, as well as the critical issues that are facing Cambodian right now! His writing, if you read careful as I did, I can see that his writing has little concern of his personal immage, but more of the immage of Cambodia and Cambodian in relation to the neighboring country! He does not want to see other nationality to control Khmer. And his writing is always encourage Khmers to learn "criticaly thinkingg" and working together to save Khmer motherland. There you have it for my two second impressing!
I would recomment that everybody that share this blog and read this article --- allow yourself to have open mind and allow yourself to read this article from different point of view!
In addition, do you think that Dr. Peang-Meth, spend his time writing in order to critisize those that not respect his writing? In all due respect, I don't think that this is the case.
Dear P from LB,
Surprise to see you in this space.
I thought you had gone with my friend to visit Ghadafi! I know that you know, and you know that I know! It is better for you to spend your time of what you do best...post more handsome songs from Khmer oldies - Yeap Tep waiting to hear from you and of course the Generation X also waiting to hear your music. Tomorrow never to late...as you well know, it is better late than never!
I see generational differences or conflicts between some of the readers and Dr. Peang-Meth.
Perhaps some of us are not anti-intellectuals, but 'academic freedom fighters?' We are living in an era that many people of different generations are so technologically and culturally divided.
A lot of these readers and commenters are probably just being impatient with the process of critical thinking and critical writing. Some among us who are younger are also more accustomed to instant gratification; thus, prefer quick, short, and to-the-point kind of writing.
I, nevertheless, do appreciate Dr. Peang-Meth's contribution, though, because he invaluably keeps us connected to the process of critical thinking. Because my reality (life exeperiences and personal circumstances) falls somewhere between the worlds of intellectualism and academic freedom.
12:09,
I think generational gap interm of age is not significant to make people differ. The educational gap that make great significant differnt for people to see the problems differently. And again, which bring back the full circle of what the Cambodian current regime is doing right now. The wealth gap is not the biggest problems, the biggest problem is the eduation gap system in Cambodia. While the official and the rich sent their children to study abroad, the rich people pretent to be kind heart by donate school to the village people. I want to call to your attention and I know that you will agreed with me that school buildings do not teach children, teachers teach children. Does the Hun's regime give school building to the village - will they teach children? School building or the training of teachers to teach children come first?
What I see the Hun's regime doing right now --- when their children go back to Cambodia, they will be frustrate and accusing young Khmer being stupid...because they could not take order, lack of education to understand the simple instruction that their children come to learn in the West! If this continue, you can be sure that Cambodia will become part of Indochina in your life time. And I can assure you that the Vietnamese will continues to be a master of Khmer children. How do you like for Khmer to rent a house to live on the Khmer's land that their ancestors left for them? And at the same your children and grandchildren will be the foreign servent. Come one Khmer people...need to wake up from your dream of being Angkor children, if you are not capable to defend the land for your children's children!!
11:45AM! read again dude if he ,Dr. Peang, like your criticle thinking he should go subject by subject not to thing people who try to put his uneducated thinking in the bloc as feel inferio to his so hight education!
DO WE ALL NEE TO ACCEPT HIS OUT OF PLACE THINKING, to show that we pro INTELECTUAL????? LOL!!!!!
Cambodia has been oppressed for so long. Our next door neighbors have tried hard to limit our intellectual growth because it is their way of advancing their influence and ultimately taking our land. Our leaders have adopted this attitude for it is easy to control us. We have been deprived of opportunities to achieve high education. Instead, we have been driven in to violence and vices via political manipulation, poverty, and injustice, etc..
Dr. Peang-Meth's contribution is so crucial to stimulate brain work that will eventually bring back virtues to our countrymen. I cannot thank you enough for your lifelong contributions to our country from diplomatic work to military service and now one of the Khmer intellectual resource provider.
May God bless your health and wisdom. And may God shower Khmers with peace, love, liberty, prosperity, and happiness.
Damaged Soul.
12:05AM! Yes if one did good before , now we should blindly believe in him1 event we know that the guy may wrong or our live at stake!!!!
That what kind of Education and respect you want, FOOL!!!!
4:37 am,
If you have kindness and have some education, you shouldn't use the word "F..." here. If you can't respect the writer or the readers in this same space, you can at least respect yourself. Because the word that you use -- just show how much anger and hate in your soul and spirit. Khmer rouge regime had gone a long time a goes, but you haven't let the KR regime go. Khmer Rouge does not hold you hustage from thinking and behave decently, but you yoursif that doing this to yourself.
May buddhist bless you to have a kinder heart!
I have been successful by reading of Dr. Peang-Meths' article almost every time.
I respect of what he writes with the high principles so that I can practice with it.
I have created some of the tools to reach that road of map in my life.
I believe that when I respect and value educated people and others -- one of them is Dr. Peang-Meth; there is nothing wrong and waste time to for me to keep learning from everybody.
I know Dr. Peang-Meth can lead me to the lake or to the classroom, but he cannot make me drink the water, or take my hand to write in the classroom. He only has the ability to write and gives me with the directions of its edge and niche – with the high principles and the opportunities that I like to practice with it.
However, how I apply and practice with it is really up to me -- for my family and business – both economically and politically.
When I read his articles, I try to analyze a lot because I have trusted in his writing and of what he said.
So read it and think it critically and ritually -- and keep asking questions; what is the next step do I need to take the actions? Then, you will becoming successful in life; it does not matter it is personaly or professionally -- keep learning to add with a new skill every time when need to -- I can almost guarantee you; soon or later you will be on top of the ladder even though there are so many steps and stairs to reach and climb up on top of those mountains destination.
Yes,Dr. Peang-Meth has changed my life.
Thank you very much.
good point, dr. peang-meth, that's why i think rule of law is good for cambodia because people are emotional, naturally! law is law! leave people's emotion or subject feeling out of it, really! cambodia will thrive way better under the rule of law in every way, really!
Dr. Gaffar...you'd be better of writing about Khmer politics. Just think that you can not please everybody; there are people who may or may not like you regardless of what you do.
Let me take my words back. Earlier, I said some of us are just academic freedom fighters, but after reading some more comments, I think many of us here are just out-of-control idiots!
The uneducated people hate the well-
educated;the poor men hate the rich
men.But some all above are good and
other ones are bad.Because people mind can be changed 50,000 times in
24 hours.
Long times ago,people were afraid of
animals,but now they are not scared of them because they know how to use
their brains or weapons to protect these animals.
What the people are scared to death
now are people.
People can make nuclear bomb,but they can't read the power people mind.
Look at Hitler,Idi Amin,and Pol Pot's mind,they are so powerful than nuclear bomb.
11:18 am,
you mention "academic freedom fighters"...I hope your statement is not made pertaining to academic freedom implement in Cambodia! Actually, there is no Cacademic at all in the scholartic seeking knowldege in the Western sense! Thus, there is no need to have "academic freedom" to fight at all, because there is no academic to fight in the first. Just few thousands dollars you could get a triple PhD in front of your name. Of course the price to get a PhD in Cambodia just getting higher, it is a necessary cost by inflation, but to those demand for respect by sticking PH and D in front of their name, (a few thousand dollars worthless than their children drink XO for a night). Actualy I call these people Ph and D with super hyperinflation (the values of their Ph and D worth less than 50% that the Ph and D obtain from Khmer neigboring countries).
As living in Cambodia, I can assure you on this claim. So there you have it, there is no need of "academic freedom fighters", because there is no academic revolution for Khoun Khmers in Cambodia!
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