Thursday, April 21, 2011

Guest Blogger: Brian Snyder

It has been my privilege and sincere pleasure to be traveling with my nephew, J Bradley Snyder, over the past 10 days as together we have toured the country of Vietnam. This is a trip I've wanted to take for several years now, but one I probably have "needed" to take for several decades. 

I was at least 10 years old, in 1968, before I realized there might not always be a war going on in Vietnam, and that I might not have to serve in that war. But the war didn't finally end until I was just two years shy of the age when I would otherwise have signed up. It felt literally like "dodging a bullet" at that time, but then I knew I would need to come here sometime to see where so many people had died for a reason that gets even less clear as time goes by. As we learned just a couple days ago, people (mostly children) are still dying here at the rate of 5 or 6 per MONTH as a result of previously unexploded land mines or other types of bombs. And then there's the long-term effects of exposure to Agent Orange wreaking havoc as well. 

Beyond thoughts about the war, however, we witnessed this week other troubling trends that can be traced to the influence of Western culture, namely a rapidly growing tourist economy and the sometimes associated negligence with respect to the natural environment. One wonders if the war isn't still going on, in far more subtle ways...

Vietnam is a stunningly beautiful country, with a remarkably diverse cultural heritage firmly rooted in a wide array of native communities (known here as "minorities"). I think all Americans should come here at least once, if for no other reason to understand what's really at stake for the Vietnamese people, and ultimately for ourselves. A country like this, facing very stark challenges related to its ongoing development, should serve as a reminder of our own responsibility in the world to show leadership in making the sacrifices that will be necessary for all peoples to live happy, healthy and sustainable lives for the long-term future.

Brian

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