Death by electrocution

Phlai Singthong, the 24yo elephant, lies dead. 
 

One of Tuesday's leading stories in Thailand was the death of Phlai Singthong, the 24 year old elephant. He was happily eating bamboo when he accidentally grabbed hold of a high voltage power line and that was the end of him.  It is a sad end. 

Thais have a great love and respect for elephants and whenever one dies through misfortune it is a big story.  Reading the story tickled my fancy, as we say back home, as with all the tragedies and disasters in our world, this simple but sad tale still attracts the attention of the media and the people in a Thailand. 

Then I think - what is it that makes the news and how and why? 

In a world surrounded by the Syrias, shootings and bombings, and the bad politicians, it gives one a soothing moment of relief to read about the death of a loved elephant.  But then in the same week in the same part of the world, Cardinal Bo of Yangon gave an incredibly challenging and blunt message about the plight of refugees, displaced persons and migrant workers from his country floundering at home and in Thailand.  Yet where is that story?  There is no sign of it anywhere here.  What did he say?  Here is a sample. 

On Migrant Workers:
Fishing slaves "are made orphans by an inhuman system. ... They have become the slaves of South east Asia.  I urge the government to become their parents and bring them home.  They are not orphans."

On Camp Refugees: 
"The camp conditions are abominable. ... They are black holes of despair sucking our people into a bottomless pit of despair and inhumanity.  These are children forgotten by Mother Myanmar.  I urge the governments of Myanmar and Thailand and the UN to accelerate the process of safe return."

So he goes on.  He may not have gotten into the news here but Cardinal Bo I am surely doing my bit to see that your message is heard by as many as possible. 

Thanks again!

This has been yet another short week.  Today is Thursday and this is our first working day of the week.  Reason is that Tuesday and Wednesday were Buddhist holy days and then the military government declared Monday as an extra holiday to make a five day weekend.  This happens so often now, with the government declaring an extra holiday when able so as to make an extra long weekend.

Military governments, I discover, are great for holidays.  It is a real gift they have.  To be honest, I think this holiday thing is being overdone but I can't do anything about it.  So just smile and accept the gift. 

Meanwhile, yesterday was a holy day in the Buddhuist calendar as it was the first day of Buddhist Lent which coincides with the rainy season.  Actually it is pretty smart to coincide Lent with the rainy season as this fits in well with the annual farming calendar.  While Thailand may appear these days to be an industrial and tourist based economy, it is traditionally an agriculture based economy and society, with agriculture still playing an important role in Thai society and economy. 

During rainy season, the rice crops are growing.  While during Lent, monks are to stay in their monastery confines.  The smartness is that with monks staying in their monasteries, they are not going to be walking through rice fields inadvertently spoiling crops.   Now I think that smart and practical, if nothing else. 

The Big Picture

This week's entry carries on from last week.  So there is no need for new picture.  I could say that this week carries on or better that this week presents the other side.

The other side focuses on the Thai psyche. I remember in my early days here attending a lecture for foreign teachers in Catholic schools on understanding Thais.  It was given by a Thai psychologist with a PHD from the USA.  His main point was based on his own research which he did on the Thai psyche.  His research showed the limitations of the Thai mind. 

Basically, what he discovered was that your average Thai is less able to cope with new, unexpected and different ideas.   He named their psyche as being quite rigid in comparison to the average western psyche which is much more flexible.  This makes it more difficult for Thais to deal on the spot with new ideas, foreign territory and other ways of acting. When they hear something new or something unexpected or something they do not want to hear, they just cannot cope and their way of handling it is to react, by shutting down and maybe in an angry way. 

I see this time and again living here.  When you talk honestly and openly and it is not what they want to hear or when you present a different approach or new way of acting, you can see the 'closing down' or 'turning off' reaction in their face. What you see is fear or anger or just an automatic and frozen reaction to the unwanted.  So you just stand back and let them be, givng them time to deal with the unknown or unexpected or unwanted. 

This is the other side. It is not always about culture and how ones are nurtured in their society.  It is also about who we are and how we are made.  Such basic life factors determine how we cope and what we can cope with in our day.

Truth seems to be that the big picture is not in a Thai's daily agenda.  That is the way it is.  It is not part of who they are.  Still this does not mean that it is impossible for them to take in the big picture.  You just have to present it so that they can take it in on their terms.  So let them get angry if they need to but then give them time to digest and come up with their own response.  They can do it eventually. 

Selling Thailand

Thai culture is always the big playing card in Thailand.  It seems to rule everything and everyone for better or worse.  We all have our culture and culture is important to us all but I have never lived in any place where culture has such a huge part to play in daily life and in the politics of running the country.

A new tourism campaign has been launched by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, named "Discover Thainess".  Well, what is Thainess, one may ask?  For this campaign, Thainess is defined by the young, attractive and gracious Thai female dressed in traditional dress, peacefully meditating.  This is their chosen definition of Thai culture.  Interesting!!

Living here, I am immersed in Thai culture and I have to say that it is a mixed bag.  It is not all gracefulness and smiles and beauty.  Having said that, this is okay as this is the same for all cultures, with each having its good and not so good sides.  The issue here is that their culture is idealized or nearly deified and I ask why and by whom for I see this as a rather dangerous path to follow in any society.  Still this happens for a purpose.

The everyday reality here is that beyond the graceful greetings and kind ways, there is a ruthlessness and a level of anger.  It is hidden but it is there ready to raise its head when judged needed.  One can accept that this is only being human and to be expected.  The shock here is that you are led to believe as an outsider that none of this exists in Thailand but it sure does, I can assure you.  It is just lying under the surface, coming out at select times and in select ways.

I experienced this rising up of the dark side in the work place on Monday.  I needed to act responsibly in my leadership role by presenting issues to the staff.  I did not go in innocently.  I did expect a backlash and I sure got it.  Having been here so long and knowing them so well, I was seeing all the undercurrents at play, all the issues that really mattered to them coming to the fore.  These included:
-protection of one's kingdom;
-anger at not being included in decisions;
-dissatisfaction with one's lot.
I understand all this.  The point here is that it is happening in a culture where they are highly controlled within their unchallenged hierarchical structures.  I see the level of unquestioned control as creating personal and interpersonal pressures.  Control just does not work or that is my take.  So there is the reaction when they have the chance, like when there is a meeting being led by an outsider, me.  What I also recognize is that this reaction acts against rightful acting on issues that need to be addressed.  The objective becomes coloured by the subjective and you start to question what is going on.  My response is to keep the focus but change the direction of action because you will get nowhere if you simply disaffect everyone.

You have to not only know and respect the culture but know how to sell your product within the limitations of this same culture.  Not easy and quite tiring but that is part of life here or anywhere and this makes life more exhilarating or more an adventure.