It seems that heaven exists on earth. Sen Monorom is a cool (both literally and figuratively) provincial capital, set amid the rolling hills of untouched jungle. Minority tribes live in the surrounding area, and they speak "Bunong," the most beautiful language in the world. They believe in animism, and regard the forest as sacred.
Unfortunately, the Khmer people think differently. While on a trek with a Bunong guide, I passed a group of Khmer men chopping down an ancient tree. The chainsaw interrupted the tranquility of the forest. The Bunong yelled something at the glaring men. I asked Nara, the guide, why he didn't do anything.
"I don't have an army or police force," he said, "There's nothing I can do."
The Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, and Thais ruin this country with their tractors and machetes, while a few Khmer men profit in the process. The fat tourists, meanwhile, patronize the resorts, casinos, and malls that those people build.
Most tragic, though, is that every person wants to be either white or Chinese. They glorify their oppressor because they know no better.
It's not just businessmen, but missionaries who are ruining this country. The preacher, with his narrow mind, spreads the gospel. Perhaps he'll offer healthcare, but at a cost. "Come to bible study," he'll say, "And I'll treat that welt on your arm." Or he'll build a church and tempt the village children with his basketball and volleyball courts.
It's his blind faith--his arrogance that he knows what's right--that destroys. But what the fuck does a forty year-old man who owns a Lexus and sleeps on silk sheets know about salvation and redemption, about suffering and sin?
Perhaps he should listen instead. He could learn something from the former child soldier, or the thousands of people in Phnom Penh who were forced off of their land, and are beaten daily by the police.
If I sound pissed, that's a lie. I'm livid.
I, too, am guilty of supporting the few men who destroy and love nothing except their wallets. That's what hurts most.
To say that we destroy because we're greedy isn't good enough. We're greedy because we are empty, spiritually poor. The oppressed comply only because they're trying to survive. Which is more important, daily survival or your children's future?
When we create, we destroy. We may never wake up.
