Sa bye dee all.. Just wanted to thank everyone at the conference.. that was truly one of the greatest weekends I've ever had :).. To Toon, Victor, Into, Vee, Tim, Sonny, Troy, Gen, Sone, Joe, Kag, Seng, Pam, ,.. and all my brothers and sisters, I wrote this essay in response to Gen's awesome EMpowerment essay.. Tell me what you guys think, Haak Paang, STEVE Here it is: Introspection by Steve Soulinhakhath Arounsack Dedicated to all my brothers and sisters at the Satjadham Conference and abroad: My life will never be the same... You are not alone. I too think about and am concerned about the path our Lao people are traveling. We are the survivors of the communist carnage, the college students who choose to counsel, the professionals who give back, and the people who look in the mirror saying, "We can do more." We are the Lao family. Like many of my Lao friends, I have a fantastic and incredible story detailing my familys escape from our battered homeland. We have heard many of these stories: parents ducking bullets while dragging three kids through knee high muddy rice fields. While they may seem to fall into an almost stereotypical structure, each episode is unique and important. It is true that many Lao escapees have encountered similar obstacles. Still even we believe in this fallacy: because something is repeated then it must be old and outdated not worth second look. This repetition only signifies the human struggle to find something better, not the dulldrum of a twice told tale. Take to heart everyone of those adventures. These wild rides led us the glorified United States, the land of plenty and the home of freedom. In our acculturation process - specifically schooling- life began to take twists. The friends we grew up with, played ball with, and ate papaya salad with began showing signs of something foul. Soon they indulged into questionable crowds doing questionable things at questionable hours. What was going on? They we no different than you or me. What made them do the things they did? Was it peer pressure, family problems, and/or naturalization stressors? Only they can answer that question. We all know friends that have chosen these paths. Being a foreigner has never been easy- as evident in the annals of U.S. history- but seeing ones people succumb to the pressures of decadence is saddening. Whose fault is it? The blame can not be shouldered by one entity alone. Perhaps it is all our faults. Many times I wonder if I did enough, but I cant change the past. I must look forward to see what can be done to help alleviate the problem in the future. We are the "American success stories." With only hope in our hearts and determination in our souls we set sail for that green utopia not knowing what inevitable challenges would greet us. School was always said to be the key. That- like many other wise adages from parents- turned out to be true. We have BAs, MAs and Ph.D.s now. Putting Laos on the map here was not easy. Many of our classmates were naïve to the fact that there was even a country called Laos (or Lay-Os as they would pronounce it). Laotians are considered little people. Many of our people are quiet and timid. We choose to fight will our cool intelligent minds rather than battle with fiery rhetoric and violent outbursts. Today, we are still David to the U.S. Goliath. Those who know that story know of that outcome. There has been a huge price to pay in coming here: not all the members of the Lao community are united. The gang members, criminals, and other troubled Laotian youths are our brothers and sisters. While society has scorned them and branded them lost or even worse "unimportant," we must and shall show them our ready hearts. Turning our back on them will signify the breakage of our Laotian ties. That bond must be forged of the most temperate compassion and unwavering will to pull each other up- not push one another down. We must be their extended arms and that helping hand while never forgetting that they are our hearts. The relationship here runs both ways: we can be a guiding force for them, but they in return can be our inspiration and motivation to do more. We should use our influence and position not to show them shame of what they COULD HAVE done; rather we should point them to a different route and show them what they CAN do. If we do not pool our resources, the consequences of a shattered Lao community will stare at us with blatant and disquieting eyes. These serious problems can not be taken half-heartedly. They require years of work and transition of the status quo. We must start the positive snowball effect here and now. Making a tool of time and planting the seeds of a blossoming future is crucial. It doesnt not have to be finding the cure for all social maladies; it simply has to be the best effort that can be put forth. Any movement towards a greater future- no matter how trivial they may appear- will help get us out of the rut of stagnancy. At the crux of all this is introspection, the inward search and analysis of ones own mental state. The person in the mirror is the first person that must change. Old blase` attitudes have to be jettisoned to make way for the new communal sense of thinking for true success is helping others succeed. I will see you in the promise land. Haak Pang, STEVE SOULINHAKHATH AROUNSACK Comments, Questions? Write me Email: sarounsa@toto.csustan.edu Homepage: http://www.s2.sonnet.com/arounsac/steve.html ***************************************************************** * MMM * * EMAIL: sarounsa@toto.csustan.edu 0-0 * * http://www.s2.sonnet.com/arounsac/steve.html O * *****************************************************************