We are in mourning ..

As we live in the weeks beyond the Battle of Bangkok, life in the streets is nearly as if nothing ever happened. That may be the way of the people here but I find it quite strange, quite eerie. My reflection goes even deeper.

It strikes me that we in Bangkok so easily mourn the buildings lost but not the peole killed. How sad!

In Bangkok, it is as if we are more connected to the buildings than the people. We do know more about the buildings burnt than the people killed. In the Thai papers, we read about Central World and the well known cinema in Siam Square but what about the people killed? Who were they? Where did they come from?

This reflection came to me as I wandered the streets of Bangkok yesterday. I saw the signs:
We love Rachaprasong.
We love Central World.
But what about the people lost, injured and suffering from all sides?

I saw the people just looking at the destroyed part of Central World and how they were mesmerised by the destruction. Then I stopped at the nearby wat where a number were killed in supposedly safe ground. I reflected that no one was just staring at this place where people sought refuge but were murdered by someone. This was where innocent people lost their lives. A symbolic place? I reflected that the burnt out Central World is a memorial to senseless destruction but that there is no memorial to ponder the senseless loss of life - the life of anyone, the life of people from all sides in the conflict. Life is so sacred but seemingly so cheap.

What is this saying about me? About the community? Are we victims of our own lack of critical reflection, our own lack of commitment or courage to stand up for life anywhere and its betterment? I don't have an answer as yet.