Interview with a Nepali Waiter-cum-philosopher

  Kathmandu, Nepal
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

The following is the transcript of an interview with a Kathmandu waiter-cum-philosopher about the future of Nepal, which has been entrenched in a civil war in which over 15,000 people have died. Currently, the Maoists and Coalition Government are engaged in negotiations over the future of the king, his power, arms control, elections, a constitution, and the creation of a new government in Nepal. Throughout the streets and fields of Nepal there is peace, but it is an uneasy, uncertain peace.

What is the future of the monarchy in Nepal?
In our country, the king is the incarnation of the god Vishnu himself. Now it's true, but in some years, it will be cast out because the political system will be changed. the king will not be worshipped. His power has been cut down and in the coming future it will be cut down more. The future of the king is dark.

How will this power be cut down?
Two or three months ago one movement happened in Nepal. It was supported by the political leaders of Nepal. Political parties want democray as well as the people themselves--no more tyrannical rule of the king. The king didn't want to give rights to the people: he wanted to tie them to a pole like an animal. Freedom was restricted by the rule of the king. Law is made to bring order to a society, but instead of bringing order into society the king's law has brought disorder into society.

If a seed doesn't have freedom, it cannot grow in earth. If we tie the bird, the bird cannot fly in the sky. If the river wants to flow, we must let it flow its own way. So must be law.

Many people say that freedom is also affected by corruption. Maybe that affects people's ability to get a job or live to their fullest.
In Nepal's administrative system, you have corruption. If you have a relative in a high post you can get a job even if you aren't qualified for that post. You can't get that post even if you are qualified if you don't have a relationship with an official. So it is very difficult to get a real job. If you have money or relatives you will get a job in Nepal.

The mind of the people must be changed. The qualified must be respected. If unqualified people are selected, then Nepal develops slowly.

To change there must be appropriate eduation. But there is not a proper education in Nepal. Eduation system is also an obstacle in the change of Nepal.

What kind of change?
Our educational system is traditional. We are taught a little bit of technical a little bit of spiritual. When we get a university degree, we can neither be a technical person nor a spiritual person. We are in the middle. They cannot do anything though they have a degree.

Today, I also have a bachelor degree, but I know a little bit about spirituality and a little bit about technical system...but fully I don't know. When we meditate on ourselves, we realize that we are surrounded by absurdity. We are useless as a society.

If we know a lot about spirituality maybe we could change the way of the people, the ideas of the people. They have been corrupted by modern society: they are hollow inside.

If we have technology, we could change the world physically. We could have prosperity. We could be a rich country.

In the context of Nepal neither we have spirituality neither we have technical. We have middle.

You must face the absurdity to survive.

But now the Maoists are saying they will change Nepal.
The Maoists are not really doing a revolution. They are doing a revolution by standing on a dead body. They say they are doing a revolution to change the consciousness of the people.

We are living in the 16th century in Nepal. We are trying to get to the 21st century. We do not know if we will be successful. It will be decided by time. Today is the silence of yesterday.

We have declared ourselves a peaceful country. We want peace, unfortunately, we are ourselves suffering from violence. The carpenter has a broken leg. The moon has a spot. So the future in Nepal is covered by the dark umbrella. Do you know what is the intention of the dark umbrella? If you are covered by the dark umbrella, you cannot see the light.

Interesting. You did tell me earlier, however, that communism was necessary in Nepal. Why?
We need communism because we are in backwards 16th century. In a democracy people become lazy. Like me--I am lazy. If communism was in Nepal, I would be somewhere working a job. A democracy, can be fatal--dangerous--for those who are unconscious, who are uneduated. They need Communism. When man becomes conscious they need democracy. When man is conscious, he knows what is good and bad. They know freedom is not to create any disorder. They don't need any law. When man is not conscious, he doesn't need freedom. If my eyes are blind and I have freedom to walk in the street, what will happen? It will create a great accident.

How then do you make the people conscious?
Consciousness must be both technologial and spiritual. If there is only technologial change, they will be blind and selfish, they will just have mind. So there must also be spirituality--heart. If there is not heart, there is no grace, there is no pity, there is no compassion. There must also be the heart and also the brain.

But communism has a history of failure throughout Asia, when imposed upon the people by authoritarian rule. Do you think it will be successful in Nepal?
The main weakness of communism is to neglect spirituality. They say that religion is a concept of the mind so they want to establish the technologial system in Nepal. I don't know the extent they will be success or not.

If communism perhaps isn't the entire solution for Nepal, what is the solution?
Democracy has weakness. Communism has weakness. So two together must be combined. Communists say democracy is the devil-mind. It must be taken away from the people. Leaders of democracy say communism must be taken out of the country. But both systems are needed to develop the country.

Does Prachanda (the Maoist leader, trans. "The Fierce One") believe both are needed?
It will be seen. At the moment, I don't know. At the moment they want a technical system. They want to destroy the spirituality. They want to wipe out the conservative.

The whole caste system will be changed. Everyone will be the same. The people will be workers. It will be changed.