Negative and Jealousy
(Baonghean) - Not long ago, public opinion across the country was stirred by the story of a farmer with mechanical skills who was only honored abroad with the rank of General, but not domestically. Similarly, a young football talent who had just emerged was scrutinized and examined in a way that involved "picking apart" even his birth date, causing outrage and shock among many. They realized that truly talented people in our country are not very appreciated and find it difficult to live peacefully due to the "jealousy and envy" that today's youth often describe as "GATO" (envy and envy).
So, is jealousy (GATO) an inherent characteristic of the Vietnamese people? It's not difficult to sadly affirm that it is indeed a deeply ingrained trait. From ancient times, there's been a folk saying, "A tied-up buffalo hates a grazing buffalo / A military official hates a civil official with long trousers." Whenever someone is slightly better or different from themselves, even in terms of food or clothing, they become visibly annoyed and envious. Today, people have also concluded, "The rich are hated, the poor are despised, and the intelligent are suppressed." That is, in any aspect, people can find a reason to "bring each other down." Therefore, the common mentality is, "Better to be equally bad than to be exceptionally good."
In times of poverty and hardship, people readily share food and clothing to help each other. However, as soon as someone stands out in the community, village, or organization, many will try to hold them back using all sorts of tricks and schemes, ultimately aiming to be on par with others. Therefore, despite a consistent policy from top to bottom to "value talent," and despite local authorities once enthusiastically rolling out the red carpet to attract talent, talented individuals still haven't appeared on the payrolls of public agencies and organizations funded by the state budget. In truth, some have heeded this call with good intentions to contribute their talents, but after a period living in an atmosphere steeped in envy and struggling to cope with the verbal and physical aggression of those around them, these talented individuals are forced to abandon the privileges offered to them and leave.
Other talented individuals, seeing this, become hesitant and resolutely refuse to step onto the red carpets already laid out. The clearest evidence is that of the dozen or so young talents who topped the "Road to Olympia" competitions, only one returned to work in the country after achieving success, and even then, did not take a job in a state agency. Thus, year after year, in the annual reports of localities, agencies, units, ministries, etc., when discussing the causes of limitations and weaknesses, the same always arises: the inadequate and limited skills and capabilities of the staff, civil servants, and officials, failing to meet the demands of the new situation... If everywhere lacks talented people, how can we lead the country forward quickly, strongly, and steadily on the path of industrialization and modernization? This shows just how harmful envy can be!
Not only is there jealousy, but our people also have another characteristic: a fondness for praise and flattery, even if that praise and flattery are insincere or false. That's why, when our country was ranked second in the world for its happiness index by an organization, many people laughed as if they'd heard a joke, but no one, especially not government agencies, countered it. Yet, when the two largest international airports in the country, Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, were ranked among the 10 worst airports in Asia, the authorities immediately launched a series of counter-arguments. It's important to note that when investigating airport quality, they directly observe and interview passengers, primarily foreigners. Therefore, the results are more accurate. However, the published happiness index is based solely on sociological surveys, conducted through interviews with Vietnamese people, which is why the results are so surprisingly ironic.
Perhaps the people at the organization that assesses the world's happiness index were unaware of our Vietnamese saying, "Show off the good, hide the bad," which is why they came up with such results. It's not that Vietnamese people don't like to speak frankly and truthfully, but having suffered the consequences of being honest so many times, we've concluded that "Speaking the truth offends people." And offending someone means losing everything—privileges, status, and even love. Therefore, since ancient times, our people have reminded and advised each other, "Words cost nothing to buy/ Choose your words carefully to please others."
So everyone is trying their best to say and offer each other flattering and pleasing words, regardless of the reality. Right now, all levels, sectors, agencies, localities, and units are conducting year-end reviews and assessments. If you pay attention to the comments and conclusions about each other, the truth will become clear. Looking at the broader picture, the lives of the majority of people, especially farmers and urban workers, are very difficult. Yet, in the reports, the socio-economic development results are always "higher each year than the previous year." Meanwhile, the hardships of the people remain the same, or even worse in some places. The main issue is the tendency to flatter, to dislike criticism, and to hate being criticized, so they fail to recognize weaknesses and shortcomings to correct them, leading to stagnation, slow progress, and slow development.
Public opinion both domestically and internationally has recently warned that if Vietnam does not change its mindset and actions, it will fall behind emerging poor countries in the region such as Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar... Even though our country has been undergoing reforms since 1986, decades ahead of its neighbors, and has made impressive leaps forward. The reason for our people's fondness for praise has been pointed out by a respected professor and member of the Central Theoretical Council: our people have a tradition of making a living through agriculture, and since rice farming is considered the most "yin" (negative) type of agriculture, Vietnamese culture is also yin, possessing characteristics distinctly different from yang cultures. A yin culture is like a woman's personality: she likes stability and always strives for it, very averse to change. (And being a woman, of course she likes praise and flattery...?)
If that's truly the case, then for the country to escape stagnation and make faster and stronger progress in the future, it's necessary to reduce negativity and eliminate the habit of... jealousy!
Buddha Mountain
