Blog Full - Maurice Leavitt

25 Mar 2019

10 days in Hanoi, Vietnam

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Love, Sabbatical, The Human Condition | 0

I arrived here in Hanoi, Vietnam after 9 days in Cambodia tropical paradise. I managed to allow myself to come to a complete halt after weeks of being on the go in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh before heading to another busy city like Hanoi. The decision to come to Hanoi was due to the northern geographical location and the weather. After months of dry 95F (35C) temperatures and no rain, I wanted a little bit of relief from the heat. Plus, unlike Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), I was told more Vietnamese culture had been preserved here in Hanoi post wartime (1970’s ish).

After my trip to South Africa and not having done any historical homework of the region, I wanted to make sure that anytime I am traveling to a new unfamiliar country I was going to make sure I did my homework to learn about the country’s history. A lot of us already know a little bit of something about the Vietnam War. When I was taking history classes in Chicago Public Schools I don’t remember going over anything about the Vietnam War, could just be my adolescent lifestyle that prevents me from remembering.

Fortunately, we live in an age where information is close by and at our fingertips when we need it. I was walking through Phnom Penh and came across a store that sold DVD copies of just about anything you could possibly want. USA copyright laws non-existent. I bought the 10DVD (20+ hours) version of The Vietnam War by Ken Burns, and watched The Post with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. From those productions I learned a lot from the perspective of the United States and knew there was more for me to learn prior to the 1950’s.

Did you know….

In the Vietnam war the United States used 29 kinds of destruction bombs, 13 kinds of anti-personnel bombs, 25 kinds of mechanic detonators and 10 kinds of electronic detonators.

Between 1965 and 1972 the United States dropped about 5,382,000 tons of different types of bombs on the North and South of Vietnam. By the end of the war, 7 million tons of bombs had been dropped on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – more than twice the amount of bombs dropped on Europe and Asia in World War II. The U.S. Bombardments in Vietnam killed more than 80,000 people and injured more then 200,000 others.

Between 1965 and 1973, the U.S. dropped 2.7 million tons of explosives — more than the Allies dropped in the entirety of World War II — on Cambodia, whose population was then smaller than New York City’s. Estimates of the number of people killed begin in the low hundreds of thousands and range up from there, but the truth is that no one has any idea.

William Shawcross, in 1979’s Sideshow: Kissenger. Nixon and the Destruction of Cambodia, was the first to advance the theory that the meteoric rise of the Khmer Rouge was not in spite of the U.S. bombing campaign but because of it. “The impact of this bombing… is clearer than ever,” they write. “Civilian casualties in Cambodia drove an enraged populace into the arms of an insurgency that had enjoyed relatively little support until the bombing began, setting in motion the expansion of the Vietnam War deeper into Cambodia, a coup d’etat in 1970, the rapid rise of the Khmer Rouge, and ultimately the Cambodian genocide.”

I learned the Vietnamese fought and struggled for their country’s independence and their own identity for a long time. Since the Mid-1800’s where China, France and Japan both had an interest in what they called “Indochina” during that time. The unification of what we know as Vietnam today has only been in existence since the mid 1970’s and Ho Chi Minh was a pivotal player in making that happen. You can do your own historical research.

During this week I made my way to the Ho Chi Minh Museum and Mausoleum, The Vietnam Military History Museum, Hanoi Street Food Tour, cooking with my host family and lots of walking around the Old Quarter of Hanoi. I’m headed to ĐÁO XUÂN Festival on Saturday/Sunday and looking forward to some live music.

The political climate that the United States is in now has been created by the people because we have fought for the democratic freedoms that are still fairly new for the Vietnamese people. I have learned to appreciate the freedoms that come along with living in the USA that are still being developed in some of the countries in S.E. Asia that I have visited. You won’t find a family of 4 all riding on a motor scooter transporting a freezer down the sidewalk while the driver is texting in the USA but, you will find equal opportunity (mostly) for all citizens. I realize that statement is open for question and debate.

I am incredibly privileged to have the freedom and been given the chance to travel like this. From being granted a sabbatical from my academic place of employment, having managed my finances properly to be able to afford it and having a brother stepping up to the plate to help care for my father who is dealing with many health issues and dementia.

I met someone who told me they couldn’t read some of my writing because I was complaining about one or some of my experiences. My intention is to write about my well rounded experiences that include my disappointments and my return to joy. It’s hard to hear that kind of feedback from someone that doesn’t really know me. I sure hope that I’m not writing and complaining about everything and missing all the joys in life and all the gratitude I feel for being able to live this life.

My landing into Hanoi has been slow and with intention. After a couple weeks of dealing with a cold/cough in Cambodia, I decided to see someone about it and was given some antibiotics for a bacterial lung infection which is common in this part of the world. My cough went away and a few days later while my body was building back antibodies post antibiotics, I came down with the flu the day before I was scheduled to travel to Vietnam. UGH. Then after a couple days of rest, I tweaked my back not doing a thing. I’m doing everything I can to keep a positive outlook and take care of my health and my body. I’m resting a lot, walking to keep my body moving and eating good yummy food.

Time will tell what is in store for me, I’m still planning on going to Ha Long Bay next week, Da Nang the following week and winding all of this up in Indonesia – Denpasar, Bali, to be home in May after all the snow has melted and see about going to the Montreal Jazz Festival the end of June.

19 Mar 2019

Some of What I Learned After One-Month In Cambodia

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Sabbatical, The Human Condition | 0

It was REALLY hard to leave the white sand beaches and sleeping in a hut on top of the ocean on the island of Koh Rong Sanloem. It was everything I imagined that a mostly undeveloped island was going to look like. I’d highly recommend anyone to make the trip to this island. I’d make the strip sooner, rather than later because the place continues to develop rapidly. There are places with modern amenities like air conditioning and other places with yurts and cabins. It’s really your choice how much money you want to spend.

Siem Reap is a cute little hipster town that caters to the millions of tourists who make the trip to see the beautiful Angkor Temples spotted all over the place there. I got the 3-day temple pass and a motorbike, so I could more easily get around. I could have easily got the 7-day pass and spent more time in Siem Reap and less time in Phnom Penh. It was so darn hot every day… almost 100F. I found that getting an early start was the best option for me… about 5-530am and then taking a break during the middle of the day for lunch, shower and a nap, and then heading back to the temples for the sunset. Definitely made for a full day. The trip into the jungle waterfall and the national park (Thanks to Leen) was the icing on the cake for my time in Siem Reap.

In Siem Reap, I spent some of my time every few days at the markets gathering fresh produce, so I could cook. If I were to be there longer, there were a few restaurants I would like to have check out. Here are the few I missed…
http://cuisinewatdamnak.com/menu
https://www.malis-restaurant.com/siemreap/cambodian-cuisine/
http://pourestaurant.com/menu/

Phnom Phen is Cambodia’s capital with millions of people and I got educated about the old Khmer government who was responsible for the genocide between 1975-1979 and the Killing Fields. I love going to the many traditional markets in the bigger cities and even though the stuff there all seems repetitive, they don’t usually get boring for me… Central Market, Russian Market and The Night Market. I missed the museums and the temples in Phnom Penh as I felt a bit touristed out from those kind of places after now, in my 7^th month of travel. I learned to continue to listen to my body when in the big cities, I do not need to spend 7-10 days in these places… it’s turned out to be a bit of overkill for me when I’d rather be in more natural surroundings (like the beach or mountains) or historic places (like Angkor Wat).

Not All Money is Real

One of the things I learned was that not all banks are ethical and not all monetary bills are made equal. After getting $200US in counterfeit bills out of a major Cambodian bank ATM, I began to take seriously how to make a transaction with larger bills, not to take any ripped or torn currency and how to discern counterfeit money. I will now only make ATM transactions inside of banks that are open for business or at western union that has an ATM inside. For instance, when paying for something with a large bill like $50/$100, do not allow the person to take the bill away from you, have them bring the change back and then give them the bill. They could take the bill and then return it with a counterfeit saying you gave them a counterfeit. $100US = $400,000 Cambodian Riel and 1kg of rice is about $2500 Riel, so you get the idea of how far the US dollar goes in a poor country like Cambodia.

The Struggle is Real

The struggle for freedom… economic freedom, freedom to choose, freedom of expression… all the freedoms that some of us take for granted in the USA is alive in Cambodia.

When taking a taxi, use the mobile app PassApp. The taxi drivers on the streets are masters at getting people to spend way more money than they have to on transportation. When I say the struggle is real… this is one way that it shows up. There are so many taxis on the streets that all the drivers are constantly soliciting people walking down the street. I’ve asked a couple of them how they can make a living because there is such an abundance of taxis on the streets. Using mobile apps for transportation in S.E. Asia is the way to go in order to avoid negotiating on the street if you can.

Cambodian government seems to be more and more corrupt. Online social networks are under constant government surveillance. The Cambodian government issued a national decree, allowing the Ministries of Interior, Information, and Posts and Telecommunications to take down content on social media outlets and websites that the government deems to be “incitement, breaking solidarity, discrimination and willfully creating turmoil that undermines national security, public interest and social order.”

A series of repressive new laws and amendments were passed in 2018 that further restricted freedom of association. These included amendments to Cambodia’s Constitution to require that every Cambodian “defend the motherland” and empower the government to take action against political parties if they do not “place the country and nation’s interest first.” The repressive and controversial amendments to Cambodia’s Law on Political Parties, allowing for the arbitrary dissolution of political parties and the banning of party leaders without due process, remained in place.

Democracy and the freedom for the people to choose is at stake. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile are urging a voting boycott.

Cambodia needs three main things: the rule of law, social justice, and to ensure peace with neighbors, as long as there is a mutual respect for independence.

12 Mar 2019

Development in Paradise and Our Collective Moral Values – Koh Rong Sanloem and Sihanoukville, Cambodia

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Love, Personal Growth, Relationship, Sabbatical, Spiritual, The Human Condition | 0

Today is my last day in Koh Rong Sanloem before I make my way to Hanoi, Vietnam. This is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen that remains mostly untouched by development and is seeing its share of growing pains and environmental issues that are not unique to this part of the world. Unfortunately, there is evidence that the scythes of development has already made its mark on the last bastion of calm and peace across several spots in the quieter, more up-market island of Koh Rong Samloem. It’s something that deserves another voice, so I thought I’d write about it a little bit more than the linked articles are describing.

Every night for the past week I have been awakened by some of the loudest outdoor music I have ever heard coming from The Jin Ding Hotel and Casino until about midnight. A newly opened Chinese hotel and casino on Koh Rong Sanloem. It’s this casino that has been accused of pouring raw sewage into the sea, ruining the beauty of the local beach, island resort owners are telling me. This morning, a guest of the place I have been staying, checked out early to find a more acceptable place to stay for her that might be able to block out the sound better.

Here is an example of how I witnessed corruption working…
I got pulled over on my motorbike in Thailand and was asked for my international drivers license, which I was unaware I would need and where most people do not have. I paid the $15US fine along with so many others… they were pulling over almost everyone on a motorbike directly in front of the police station and was taking money as fast as they could pull people over. I then went to a coffee shop and applied for an international drivers license and in under 2 hours I had one printed out and in my hands. This happened numerous more times to me in Thailand but, I had my license and was let go without a fine. Here in Cambodia I hear it’s much worse than in Thailand where you pay off the police officers as a “gesture” of complicity and generosity to the local economy. When I rented a motorbike in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I was told the locations of where the “sting operations” were and stayed away from them with success. This is only one example of police corruption.

What I find the most fascinating is the corruption that happens in this part of the world. Koh Rong Sanloem and Sihanoukville are prime examples. There are about 30 casinos in Sihanoukville with about 40 more being built by Chinese investors. A lot of the problem is the political corruption. ALL of the development is being completed by Chinese employees and when the casinos open the Chinese are staffing them. The costs of rooms and food at these casinos are even out of the price range of the locals. This is not bringing economic development to the people or the region. It is only padding a few peoples pockets. All of this is happening because the political system is corrupt and people are getting paid off to overlook domestic and environmental programs so only a few individuals can benefit.

This is something similar that is happening with The Jin Ding Hotel and Casino on Koh Rong Sanloem with the loud music. Domestic ordinances are in place saying any hotel that wants to have outdoor loud music events need to apply for a permit. Makes sense, right? So how do these guys get to play loud outdoor music EVERY NIGHT without recourse? Political corruption. Someone is getting paid off to overlook the issue and there isn’t much anyone can do about it… so they say.

It’s not any different than what is going on inside the United States, only it’s on a different scale. A grander scale. We all know that eating too much meat and dairy is not a good thing. And yet the U.S. government still financially subsidizes the mass production of meat/dairy products and other items that have been determined not so good for us anymore. We all know that eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is healthier and it is also what doctors tell us… to stop eating so much meat/dairy products and eat more fresh fruits/vegetables and plants. So… why isn’t our governmental money being channeled differently for the benefit of the whole now that we all realize things need to change? Because there are a few individuals in the meat/dairy industry that are currently benefiting. Something does not make sense to me. We have things backwards right now.

It brings up a question for me about morals and values. What are morals? The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says the term morality can be used either… “descriptively to refer to some code of conduct put forward by a society or, other group, such as a religion, or accepted by an individual for his/her own behavior or: Normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.” Basically, morality is some code of conduct.

“Morals are necessary because they reflect our values which contribute to the well-being of a society as well as the individual within that society. Conversely, the lack of them can bring about the deterioration of the fabric of a society with ensuing suffering.”, Increasing Moral Development, by Sharon Quinn.

People and their governments cannot legislate or mandate morality, just take a look at the president of the united states and the questions surrounding him and that office and how it is operating right now. We cannot mandate equality or personal values or enforce them as “illegal”. There needs to be a shift in a greater group conscious. A shift in the morals and values in the greater collective that recognizes the unity of the whole, the sameness of each other and the knowing of who we really are.

Let’s take a look at the example of how casinos pop up all over the place… here in Cambodia and also in Maine and other places. There are laws that say gambling is illegal and therefore, not good for the health of the people and for the society. Yet the government says gambling is ok in some parts of the country like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Presumably, the government says its ok after it says its not, is because gambling has always been around, and people will engage in that activity anyway. The first reason that gambling is outlawed, and the second reason has nothing to do with our health. It has to do with economics. Another way to say that is, power.

What I’m merely suggesting is that our personal agreements, collective operational codes of conduct and governmental laws be based on an ever-greater understanding and an employ a grander definition of what self-interests are and mean. What most laws are doing, is saying the most powerful among us has some sort of a vested personal interest.

I’m not saying a solution is going to be an easy one. Nor am I saying that I know of a solution that would work. I’m only asking myself some questions as I experience and discover more of the world and attempt to make myself part of world consciousness and not just my own self-centered ego driven one.

One of the basic questions I’m asking myself is: Can any of our individual self-interests ever be replaced by the best collective and common interests of humankind and the ecology of the planet? If so, how? By eliminating all separations. By constructing a new model of the world and holding it within the framework of a new collective group consciousness… knowing we are all the same… we are all brothers and sisters in the same family… connected, even if we are on opposite ends of the planet.

11 Mar 2019

Making The Choice… We Are Born Into Love, We Are Conditioned To Fear – Koh Rong Sanloem, Cambodia

by Maurice | posted in: Adventure, Love, Personal Growth, Sabbatical, Spiritual, The Human Condition | 0

I wrote a blog about being stripped of identity and it’s been occupying time and space inside of me these last several days. Not because I think there was anything wrong about what I wrote but, because there was a missing piece in that writing, a part 2 if you will. Something that, during these last several days of being able to completely slow down to a halt here in tropical paradise has made me contemplate even more. It’s amazing what complete stillness can do.

What if everything that happens is perfect? What if that being left hanging at the ferry terminal with no communication from the lodge was meant to happen and perfect for me? What if this experience here in Cambodia is unfolding so perfectly. Ugh… how I’ve resisted that sentiment so many times because of negative emotions that I think I have been able to let go of and then they resurface again. After some time, I continue to come back to the concept of “What if everything that happens is perfect?”, as being completely for my benefit. And then I can eventually see it is totally true.

Why does it take time to come around to being at peace and with accepting what is while I hold on to some of these negative feelings for a while?

Fear Attracts Fear

Why? Because I’m scared, angry, tired, upset or a combination thereof… Why? Because I’m allowing my own fear to get the best of me. I’m scared of being abandoned by the people that said they would be there for me. I spoke about that wound in my other writing stripped of identity. When I get a taste, or even a mere scent of that happening, I get scared and think the world is against me and I feel like I have to fight for the sake of my own survival. As much as I work so hard and want that fear to go away, it actually reveals an underlying belief that nobody will be there for me. Even though I know deep down it is totally not true. I get caught in a vicious circle of my own self-created misery. I realize this is part of being human and everybody that’s willing to admit their humanity has a wound that sometimes has them temporarily stuck.

I’m attracting what I fear.

I fear the energy of abandonment; therefore, I’m attracting it in my life? YES! That which I fear strongly I will be looking out for and find and experience. Like energy attracts like energy—forming “clumps” of energy of like kind. When enough similar “clumps” crisscross each other—run into each other—they “stick to” each other and when that happens enough times it forms “matter”. This built up “matter” creates a belief that fears are true and I should be looking out for it to happen once again. Once energy becomes matter, it becomes “sticky” and remains for a very long time—unless it is disrupted by an opposing, or dissimilar, form of energy. This dissimilar energy, acting upon matter, actually dismembers the matter, releasing the raw energy of which it was composed.

So how do I dismantle this negative and unnerving energy that does not serve me? Or any other adverse fearful energy? How am I going to “create” a reality that is more in tune with who I am? Because, I am not my story, or my history or my fear!

I need to remember that I can be the person I am meant to be and keep on creating the person that I want to be. I can perform the actions and behave like the person I am meant to be. I can have whatever I can possibly imagine for myself in my life. I can be the person who makes connections and doesn’t let my fear drive the bus. Why is it so hard to take my own medicine sometimes? We teach what we need to learn… so I write about it. ????

The Grand Polarity of Love and Fear

Can you feel the opposing forces of polarity that I’m writing about? The negative emotions where I feel my own self collapsing, while at the same time, the realization that life is unfolding completely for my benefit? This is the duality inside of the human condition, as I like to call it. Fear being at the polar opposite end of love. These are the only two places of being on the physical plane: fear and love.

Thoughts rooted in fear will produce one kind of manifestation and thoughts rooted in love will produce another. Fear is the energy which contracts, closes down, draws in, runs, hides, hoards, harms. Love is the energy which expands, extends, opens up, sends out, stays, reveals, shares, heals. Fear wraps our bodies in armor, love allows us to stand naked, vulnerable.

I’m reminded of the spiritual masters who have walked the planet (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Moses, Muhammad, and others) are those who have chosen only love. In every instance. In every moment. In every circumstance. Even as they were being killed, they loved their murderers. Even as they were being persecuted, they loved their oppressors. This is what every Master has done. It doesn’t matter what the religion, it doesn’t matter what the faith or tradition. And I’m bitching about not being picked up at the ferry terminal, getting counterfeit money our of the ATM, and being asked not to enter into the kitchen?

How could I have possibly forgotten what that voice of love sounds like? Here’s a reminder just in case. The highest voice inside is always the thought which contains joy. The clearest choice of words are those words which contain truth. The most glorious feeling is the one that is called love. Joy, truth, love. These three are interchangeable and interconnected, and one always leads to the other. It matters not in which order they are placed. The make the circle of life feel complete.

Creating vs. Discovering

I (we) have been put here on this earth to “create” my own reality and not believe I am a product of my family or my history. I am here to experience and discover all that the world and life has to offer, which is one reason I went on this sabbatical. Many people have told me that this sabbatical-travel is to help me realize my own becoming or for discovering more of who Maurice actually is. Uhhh, No. I’m here to create the self I want to be in this world by experiencing all that the world and life has to offer.

I want to be a creator of who I am in my life, not a discoverer of myself. I am here, we are all here, to experience in our lives the highest feeling of love that we can possibly imagine and extend it back out to everyone and the world. This doesn’t mean diminishing or discarding the negative feelings or emotions (hatred, anger, lust, jealousy), but to feel and experience ALL OF IT. All of the polar opposites. The everything that life has to offer. How can I choose love if I have not experienced the absence of love? How can I learn how to forgive until I know what it’s like to be merciless? How would I know what success is unless I’ve been unsuccessful?

Who am I if I am not the things that I may have identified myself as on this physical plane? The same as who you are too. I am goodness and mercy and compassion and understanding. I am peace and joy and light. I am forgiveness and patience, strength bravery and courage, a helper in time of need, a comforter in time of sorrow, a healer in time of injury, a teacher in times of confusion. I am the deepest wisdom and the highest truth; the greatest peace and the grandest love. I have had moments of my life where I have known myself to be these things. I am continually given more and more opportunities to choose to know myself as these things.

It’s my job to make the choice. To choose love like the spiritual masters have done in every situation… to choose the best of who I am, the truth of who I am… without condemning or doing harm to myself for not choosing “right”, or thinking I need to attack someone, or reject somebody else’s perspective, or making a religion or teaching “wrong”. I do not want to do harm to the things I have not chosen in favor of my own perspective. By doing that, I am selfishly making my half… the entire whole. How can I possibly understand my half when I’ve just rejected the other half?

Make the choice.

now!

Now!

NOW!

… and choose love once again!

We have shown that hearts can change and a different future is possible when we refuse to be prisoners of the past.
– President Obama 2018 – Hanoi, Vietnam

Side Note about Cambodia and Vietnam…

Cambodia

Cambodia was a French protectorate beginning in 1863 before it gained independence in 1953. The Vietnam War extended into the country with the US bombing of Cambodia from 1969 until 1973. Following the Cambodian coup of 1970 which installed the right-wing pro-US Khmer Republic, the deposed king gave his support to his former enemies, the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge emerged as a major power, taking Phnom Penh in 1975 and later carrying out the Cambodian genocide from 1975 until 1979, when they were ousted by Vietnam and the Vietnamese-backed People’s Republic of Kampuchea, supported by the Soviet Union in the Cambodian–Vietnamese War (1979–91). Following the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, Cambodia was governed briefly by a United Nations mission (1992–93). The UN withdrew after holding elections in which around 90 percent of the registered voters cast ballots. The 1997 factional fighting resulted in the ousting of the government by Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People’s Party, who remain in power as of 2018.

Vietnam

During the 3rd century BC, ancient Vietnamese people inhabited modern-day northern Vietnam. In 179 BC. Vietnam became part of Imperial China for over a millennium from 111 BC to 939 AD. An independent Vietnamese state emerged in 939 following Vietnamese victory in a battle against the Southern Han. Successive Vietnamese imperial dynasties flourished as the nation expanded geographically and politically into Southeast Asia, until the Indochina Peninsula was colonized by the French in the mid-19th century.

French Indochina saw the Japanese occupation in 1940 amidst the escalation of World War II. Following Japanese defeat in 1945, the Vietnamese fought French rule in the First Indochina War. On 2 September 1945, Vietnamese revolutionary leader Hồ Chí Minh declared Vietnam’s independence from France and therefrom established a provisional communist state. After nine years of war, the Vietnamese declared victory. The nation was thereafter divided into two rival states, communist North—the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and anti-communist South—the Republic of Vietnam. Conflicts intensified in the Vietnam War with extensive US intervention in support of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1973. The war ended with North Vietnamese victory in 1975.

I was wondering why abandonment might have surfaced so strongly while I am here in Cambodia and transitioning to Vietnam while I’m in the middle of watching Ken Burns Vietnam War TV Series. Then as I did a little research about the history of these countries, pieces began to fall into place. These countries have experienced many wars and occupations by foreign countries, only to be “abandoned” by these countries and left to their own devices to develop once again. That’s what happened in Vietnam by the USA and what happened in Cambodia by the French.

It’s never too late to keep on choosing love over fear.

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