When Your World Changes

I am sorry for the lapse in recent weeks but I was traveling in Asia. I could have written many different blogs, but I think that much of what I would have said, would not have really mattered. After a few good sleeps and a bit of reflection, I am now ready to share some of the most moving experiences that have kept me wondering, what do I do next.

For all of the Julia Roberts fans and specifically the “Eat Pray Love” people, here is my advice with regards to Bali. Eat before you leave, pray that you do not catch an incurable disease and love the fact you live in Canada. Although the people we met, were nice and obliging, I have never been in a dirtier place with so many Mo-Peds and dogs. Four million people and one and a half million scooters. That equals chaos.

I will not bore you with minute by minute details, but the rest of the trip was enlightening, yet it was difficult to enjoy the food and environment because it is just so different from what we are used too. I guess I am getting older and set in my ways and adventure should be contained to a new station on the TV and a new brand of toothpaste.

Now for the real impact of this trip. On day 11 of 14, we visited Cambodia. It is a small country about double the size of New Brunswick and has a population of 14.8 million people. The country was pulled into the Vietnam war and after the exit of the Americans in 1975, it became the site of one of the largest Genocides, rivaling the Holocaust. The purge was aimed at people with any type of education, and something as simple as wearing eyeglasses was a death warrant. When the purge ended and the regime was overthrown in 1979, nearly a third of the population was missing or not accounted for. The horror was depicted in the movie “The Killing Fields”.

One of the last causes that Princess Diana fought for was the removal of landmines and Cambodia was the focus. In 1979, the population was around 10 million and there were close to 12.5 million undetonated landmines. During the next several years, the country averaged nearly 4000 casualties per month due to landmines. Today there are still 2.5 million landmines remaining and they are undetectable because they are made of K5 or plastic explosives.

The point that strikes me most is that this was not a poor country prior to all of this happening. They were a part of the Ancient Kingdom of Siam and were one of the most prosperous and educated counties in Mainland Asia. They had over 10,000 medical doctors, many who fell victim to this purge. Today they are reduced to poverty like you cannot imagine. They are passionate and desperate for a better life. They have two main requests for tourists. Take many pictures, and share the beauty of our land, and please ask your friends and family to come and visit. Their lifeline is now tourism.

As I was leaving the Airport to return to Vietnam, I picked up a book written by the author Pin Yathay, called “Stay safe my son”. I read this book in about 2 days and it is the true story of the author. He was forced to flee the capital city of Cambodia on April 19th, 1975, with 17 other family members. He escaped the horror 3 years later, but only after the death of his entire family with the exception of one son, whom he had to abandon in order to attempt the escape. He was much like you and me until that April afternoon. He had a good life as an engineer, with a family and a comfortable standard of living. It all was taken in the blink of an eye.

I have pondered hard since my departure as to how a travesty like this can happen and I return once again to an old saying that keeps echoing in my mind. “For evil to exist, all it takes is for a good man to do nothing”. The rest of the world sat back and ignored because these people did not matter. There was no oil at stake and it was not in our backyard. These people became the forgotten and the expendable.

I sure hope that this does not happen to a once prosperous nation that somehow falls from grace. It would be an awful legacy to leave to a future generation. The key for me is to understand, that the world is changing before our eyes, and never be so naive to think, that it can never happen to us. I am sure that these people thought that also that April afternoon.