Being is Believing

The World We Are Led to Create

‘JJ’ Jeremy Johanson

The nations of our planet Earth have been subjected to many social and geo-political changes during the start of this 3rd millennium, yet Thailand seems to have escaped the global turmoil besetting daily life in other countries.

What seems to be the secret recipe that keeps life in our local environment so stable and comforting?

Of course we know that the foundation of this stability is the wisdom and love of, and for, His Majesty King Bhumibol. But how does this translate into the daily life of the people of a nation? People who are good-hearted, optimistic and respectful, connected by the same ideals of non-violence and peace, harbouring a strength that comes deep from within to create one of the world’s most compassionate peoples.

What makes Thailand so special?

What do you think? Email us your ideas on Thailand and how we can help make the world a better place. (ThaiWais@gmail.com). Until then, here are the viewpoints of some of our fellow Bangkokians…

	Kobsak Chutikul Member of Parliament “Historically Thais have been blessed. We have had a unifying source of inspiration in terms of the monarchy, which has been continuous over the ages. We are blessed by natural bounty in terms of land and abundant food, sufficient to maintain an optimistic view of life. In terms of religious faith, we believe that whatever will come will come, and there’s not too much need to try and struggle to change what cannot be changed. It’s not a fatalistic attitude, but in terms of taking the bad with the good and also in terms of not trying to get into the turf of others. Everybody has the right to what they believe, how to live, and how to go about things. So we’re not a proselytising race that wants to change others, or wants to impose our view on others. We are more reactive, because we’re able to absorb, to accept, influences from aboard. This makes for a comfortable, healthy way of life, that we do not have anything to try to champion or try to convince others and we are not adverse to other points of view.”
	Somtow Sucharitkul Artistic Director – Bangkok Opera “The whole philosophy of life in Thai Society is about letting go of things. The problems of the universe do not seem quite as problematic if you’re able to distance yourself from them. You can explain it in philosophical terms as much as you want, but the other Buddhist societies are just as troubled as the rest of the world. So it’s not just about Buddhism. It seems to be a sort of circumstance of being at the exact confluence of the places where these values are actually working. Something that is integral to the way that Thai people relate to other people is that the whole concept of communication and language is based entirely on seeing the world from the point of view of the person that you are talking to, and not from your own point of view. For instance in English, there is the word ‘I’, which refers to the person who’s talking, and there’s the word ‘you’, referring to the person you’re talking to. But in Thai, there are words that represent people’s positions in life. There is not a specific word that only means the person talking or the person being spoken to. If you’re always looking at reality from the perspective of the person you’re talking to, you’re much less likely to be confrontational about it, because you’re also trying to see their point of view all the time.”
	Rochelle Schmallenbach “If beliefs are seeds that will one day flower into realities, what believes must the Thais have in order for them to experience a relatively peaceful and trouble-free zone? On reflection, for one, Buddhist beliefs, like using any abundance created to support and accelerate the self-realization of those around, must play in part. The confusion in the state of the world, whether it be war, rehabilitation, or the SARS epidemic, shows that change is inevitable. The Thais biggest contribution to a peaceful world is that they believe in it. The most powerful tool they have is their faith, non-violence and to increase the amount of compassion and cooperation on the planet.”
	M.R. Malinee Chakrabandhu “Thai people are natural people, and being natural means being close to nature. We are happy-go-lucky, peaceful people. We love peace and follow the footsteps of the King, which are very natural also. Compassion helps a lot too… in all ways… amongst ourselves, towards animals, towards everything. We don’t look down on each other. We try to help. We understand each other and we don’t practice segregation between racial groups. For instance, Thais of other origins would like to be Thai nowadays, so we accept them as Thai people. It’s better not to criticize, but to analyse. To take the time to think, ‘why?’. You need to have a good philosophy in life and I think it’s the Buddha who taught us the best philosophy. In other countries where many races live together, one key towards harmony might be through more interracial compassion. If people have compassion, we will go very far.”
	Ashok Sajjanhar Deputy Chief of Mission – Embassy of India “The people of Thailand are its greatest asset. This combined with the underpinnings of Buddhism give Thais such enormous strength, teaching them to follow the middle path and to shun extremes. This is what makes Thailand so special. In these troubled times, it is important to focus on the similarities between different civilizations, between different religions, between different peoples. We need to focus more on a dialogue among civilizations and not on a clash among civilizations. This is the direction that Thailand can show the world.”
	Rattanaprapa Disavatana Director of Social Affairs and Protocol – Sukhothai Hotel “Thailand is special because of its’ people. Even if they are undergoing an unfortunate situation, they’re always nice to each other. We always have a smile. Our country is a very beautiful place and people here have good hearts. The fact that we have good hearts comes from inside. This is part of our culture, part of our traditions, part of our thinking. This makes Thai people different from Western people and other Asian people. Thai culture starts upon meeting someone, showing respect by offering a smile and a Wai. People can learn from Thailand by adopting our attitude. When we face a bad situation we should help each other. In these difficult times, people around the world tend to think of themselves first, but maybe if they would just help each other a little bit, not much, it would help a lot.”
	Eric Levine Founder – California Fitness Center “As soon as you land in Thailand, you can feel the collective vibration, it’s soft, it’s more relaxing, it puts you at ease. It makes you lighter. The vast majority of people throughout the country follow Buddhism, and the way of the Buddhist doctrine is one of compassion. If you have 90% of a total population that follows this style of thinking, well that is very powerful! It’s a very powerful umbrella that protects this area. Collective consciousness is a fact, it’s not a theory. Following this example, the West could look inside themselves, take the time to find out the truth inside themselves and open up to the fact that there is more to the world than the West. The world is a beautiful place… enjoy it! Find out all of the beautiful differences, and then realize that we’re all connected and that we’re all the same.”
	Supornthip Choungrangsee Managing Director – 124 Communications “I’m Buddhist, so I believe in the power of meditation. When people come to meditate together, I also believe in the power of meditation for big groups. When we meditate our thoughts are always positive, flowing in the same direction. This helps a lot. You notice that when people practice positive thinking, that we’re not jealous. We want to help people, and by wanting to help each other we help ourselves also. If we’re all heading in the same direction together, then the power of positive thinking will always be with us. This is not only true of Thailand. If any country practices this, you will see the change.”