History is Important

by L. Sterling Burke IV

After just returning from one of the local South East Asian countries bordering Cambodia, I was amazed at the difference in culture and mindset. While there, we took a day to tour the local areas. We went several places, but the one place that caught my attention was the King's summer home. It was a small, quiet home in the mountains. When you first walked in, there was a sitting area for guests that would have been waiting to see the King. It consisted of two chairs and a couch sitting nicely next to the fire place and facing a large window that overlooked a magnificent garden and the valley below. It was simple but elegant. We then turned right into the King's office. His desk also sat looking out over the garden and valley. Behind the desk sat a large book case filled with English and French books along with some translated into the local language. The bookcase was filled with great works of literature from all around the world. The house was full of books and art, all just how he left it. This is a real contrast from the King’s palace in Cambodia and what I feel it represents.

Compared to the king’s summer home in the neighboring country, the Khmer palace of the King shows a huge class distinction. You can see the desire to display all the "pomp" possible, and yet many things are actually missing from where they were once displayed. While the palace is still there, it has been robbed and much has been destroyed. Many of the royal artifacts have been stolen. Angkor Watt is another one of Cambodia’s famous landmarks. It is mostly run down and covered by trees. All the wealth it once had is gone; much has been taken. Both these places say much about the country and they are examples of the contrast between Cambodia and the neighboring country.

Here you see two countries bordering each other; one taking time to preserve the past, the other taking what they can from it, stealing from themselves and thus destroying bits of their own history in the process. I do see Cambodia beginning to grow. My prayer is that where there were obvious years of war and self-destruction that the people are learning from that, and growing stronger to take ownership of their decisions and their country, desiring to leave for future generations what they have been robbed of. I sincerely hope that their leaders will "lead" the way in curbing the corruption that has been so devastating and move on to ensure that all Cambodians begin to have a chance at educated lives that are less about "appearances" and selfish gain, and more about becoming stronger as individuals to aid the "common good", looking to the future while desiring to learn from and preserve the values and lessons they might be learning from the “past”.