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It is said, "precious elements even if broken have utility, but a half-burned log would have no value". Likewise, there is no great value in writing the life story of an ordinary person like me, nor is it worth the trouble. Still, in the history of the Tibetan nation-state, rich with its unique religious and cultural heritage extending for hundreds of generations, nothing comparable to the tragedy of our generation has ever happened, in which it became a question of survival and extinction.
Our eastern neighbors, the Chinese Communists, invaded and conquered the whole of Tibet; in their propaganda drive to misinterpret historical facts they manipulate all the media to publish and disseminate their false version of events past and present. One of the most important validations of truth in the face of falsehood is the individual testaments of Tibetans inside Tibet and in exile. Pursuant to this, I was encouraged by family and longtime friends, and, most importantly, His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has time and again emphasized the importance of recording these accounts.
In particular, in 1991, His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his message on the occasion of the thirty-second anniversary of the Tibetan uprising said, "Tibetans in the free world belonging to the categories mentioned above and others also with knowledge of Tibetan history and public affairs, should write them down together with their personal life stories. I have called upon Tibetans towards this endeavor before and would like to once again tell them so. This is very important. One might think one's life story is not worth writing down. The truth is, our generation is one that endured many hardships and, in spite of facing many challenges, held our own to forge a new way forward. I see it as very important to write down the collective and personal experiences of this generation. Otherwise, misrepresentations and misinterpretations in the Chinese propaganda literature and pamphlets would survive, and the truth about the sufferings of individual Tibetans and the Tibetan nation as a whole would I go into oblivion with the passing away of the victims.
Therefore, I once again call upon those living in the free world to write down their life stories".
True Life Story of a Child from "To", Tashi Phuntsok Ngamdung, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Paperback, 251 pages, $21.00
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