The will to live is inspirational

Arn Chorn-Pond

Chorn-Pond a national hero in Cambodia

Monday, April 18, 2011
Manan M. Desai
The Daily Evergreen (Washington State, USA)

Growing up and experiencing the evolution of life is a very dynamic, and sometimes sore, process. To soften this blow and to look for personal inspiration, everyone goes through some form of hero worship at one point of time in their lives. For most, these heroes are your regular folk from every aspect of life who have, after considerable amounts of personal sacrifice, managed to achieve something extraordinary. I had the pleasure recently to shake hands with someone like that.

Arn Chorn-Pond, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocides from Cambodia, gave a moving speech this week in the CUB Senior Ballroom. He is nothing short of a living legend and walking hero for the people of Cambodia and for many others around the world. There is something strikingly different about people who have gone through traumatic times and survived to tell the tale. There is a sense of hope and respect for life which is very unique. Chorn-Pond is no different.

At a tender age of nine, Chorn-Pond lost his parents and 11 of his siblings in the mid-70’s after Khmer Rouge came to power and systematically started to wipe out the native population. Along with Chorn-Pond’s family, 1.7 million Cambodians were slaughtered – a humanitarian crisis similar to that of the Holocaust during World War II. Khmer Rouge specially took a liking toward the artist community. Ninety percent of Cambodia’s performing artists were mercilessly wiped off the face of the Earth.

Chorn-Pond survived by playing flute for his captors. He was forced to play revolutionary songs while others around him suffered on a daily basis. During his speech, Chorn-Pond mentioned how he would witness killings two to three times a day and how anyone who seemed remotely educated or even wore glasses was perceived as pernicious and immediately put to rest.

Gathering enough courage, Chorn-Pond escaped into the Cambodian jungle and eventually made it to a refugee camp across the border in Thailand. There he met Peter Pond, a minister and U.S. aid worker. Pond brought him to the U.S. and officially adopted him in 1984. Chorn-Pond moved with Pond’s family to Jefferson, New Hampshire.

As if his experiences in Cambodia were not enough, he was further bullied and oppressed during his high school days for being different. But Chorn-Pond persevered and made it through that phase of his life as well. He went on to attend Brown University, an Ivy League school, with none other than former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s daughter, Amy Carter.

It was heart-warming to hear Chorn-Pond speak candidly on how his life has changed for the better and the missions he has undertaken to improve life for Cambodians back home. He founded several human rights groups, like Children of War. He has also been instrumental for reviving traditional Cambodian arts by founding Cambodian Living Arts. He is also a recipient of multiple peace awards – the Reebok Human Rights Award, the Anne Frank Memorial Award and the Amnesty International Human Rights Award.

Even though he has adapted and accepted life here in the U.S., Chorn-Pond was forthcoming enough to mention the materialistic nature of Western society in general. He urged students to focus on what is important in life rather than mere superficial things; an important message which resonated well with the ones who were in attendance.

People like Arn Chorn-Pond are a shining beacon of hope, compassion and resilience in a world which is bent on self-mutilation and destruction. Without a doubt, Chorn-Pond is a real-life hero for Cambodians and surely an inspiring figure for many others, too.