From Bi`nh Than to the Internet Village

[ianb@sun670.telecom.tandem.com (Ian Bui)]

Reading Mr. Tien's comment I couldn't help but burst
out laughing. (Maybe because it was Friday, and I 
desperately needed something to cheer me up!?!? :))

It was obvious that, as anh AiViet wrote,

> Twenty five years ago, the old style cadres also used this logics: 
> You came by the MONEY of government so you have to listen to ME, 
> and I tell you that you should cut your hair in the style I IMPOSE. 
> NO COMMENT , SHUT UP, you are kids and cannot understand how 
> important the hair style is.

there still are people who subscribe to this "logic", even among
the supposedly educated elite... Ah well, evolution takes time...

Back to Binh Than. To me, the lesson of Binh Than was that our
society of old already had its version of democracy even though 
it does not resemble the modern-day versions in many aspects. 
Still, I happen to believe that the village institution of VN 
played a very crucial role in providing early societies with an 
environment from which independent-mindedness and decentralization 
became a national characteristic -- e.g. "Tha` thie^'u thue^' vua 
ho*n thua le^. la`ng".

I think, in order to determine which is the best course for VN
to take going into the 21st century, we need to examine closely
this fundamental aspect of our people, especially those belonging
to the common folks. It would be unwise to believe, as some of our 
contemporaries have been dupped into believing, that only the learned, 
the rich, or the powerful could make the right choices for an entire 
nation.

The truth is that such misguided thinkings have cost our nation
dearly throughout our bloody history. Yet the lessons have not been 
well learned. Still the deceptions and the lies are being promoted 
(however clumsily) as the poor people of VN are trying their damndest 
to get out from under the horrendous economic and political consequences 
of such "logic".

What would Tra^`n Quo^'c Toa?n have done in this situation, I wonder.
Send an e-mail to the Prime Minister??? :)))

Cheers,
Ian

ps. there was a typo in the poem "The Flood". "slaugher" should have
been "slaughter" :)