I was waiting at my bus stop on Monday, when this young, Thai guy arrives on his bicycle to go to a shop. What does he do? Get off his bike and park it across the footpath as a barrier to all pedestrian traffic. He wouldn't have thought of anything other than he wants to go to this shop at the bus stop. This is so typical of here.
Every day, Thais walk along and drive and act as if there is no one else in the world. Some say it is the Buddhist psyche which is so self-absorbing. No matter what, there are other people in the world and we have to think of them.
This makes me then think of back home. Aren't we the same? Not think of others so often? Then along comes the Rudd PNG Solution on asylum seekers and the ongoing hype surrounding this issue in Australia. It is as if Australians have become besotted by this one issue, seeing it as threatening the fabric of their society and so turning their psyche upside down. It seems that Australia has become self-absorbed in preserving and defending their own little world, not being mindful of others in the world. It is as if the world stops at Darwin and no Australian has a sense of what reality is like for so many in the world beyond there.
Have we forgotten that we are connected to each other? Maybe floundering in our being disconnected, we become more aware of the value of and need for our being connected.
Meanwhile, Happy Buddhist Lent! It began on Tuesday and goes for some three months. It is to be a time for quiet and reflection.
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