Monday, June 05, 2006
Myanmar, 'Land of Pagodas', 'The Golden Land', is really a nation torn apart by years of misgovernment by the military junta and is marked by a gradual but steady free-fall into a dismal state of affairs. Again and again, stark reminders of the lack of provision of basic amenities can be witnessed all over the city of Yangon. From colonial buildings that have been destroyed in World War II to the daily power cuts, from the limited portable water to the inadequate water drainage facilities, all showcasing the ineffectiveness of the government and the sad decay of a great nation.
However, this does not translate into a nation that is unhappy. The people may lead a difficult life, having to cope with a rampant inflation with declining wages, and a government that is incompetent and corrupt, but ultimately, they do try to make do and are generally far more cheerful than the average Singaporean. This begets the question of why.
The first and most superficial justification is that these people are poor, uneducated and are unable to pull themselves out of the poverty cycle. In essence, they have grown to accept, and in the process found some happiness in the situation. This blog asserts that this is a far too simplistic generalization. To classify everyone under one category and arguing that they are unable to better their lot is not representative of reality. Quite on the contrary, Myanmar has a people that is yearning to progress, the schools are packed with students, although the government has only allocated two percent of GDP in to education, while relocating universities to the outskirts to deter further education. These people are determined to improve, and in a strange twist, it is the government that is pulling them back, holding the whole nation hostage so it can remain in power.
Perhaps a more plausible argument is that Myanmese, is far more tolerant and generally more joyful because of a mixture of culture, circumstance and religion. In a nation where Buddhism is by far and away the most prominent religion, it seems this nation of fifty million follows the precepts of Buddhism as far as possible. Every morning each household cooks for seventy, not to be eaten, but to donate to monks going door to door begging for alms. Everyone tries to make it a point to attend mediation centers or even being a monk for a week or two. Temples and pagodas scattered all over the nation serves as constant reminders to keep your behavior in check. While it will be difficult to compare with Singapore, and senseless to assert that Singapore is an antithetic society, clearly, the serenity of the place of worship has some calming effect on the body and mind.
While Myanmar maybe one of the least developed countries in the world, it is still the proud builders of the Shwedagon Pagoda. A massive sixty tons of solid gold, it is really quite inconceivable that a nation that does not have enough power for residential use can build such a colossal monument. Perhaps, the will of the Myanmese people is manifested in this Pagoda, and testament to better days ahead.
11:57 PM
