It is the little people!

The House at W Hotel in Sathorn  

Last Saturday was a little different for me as I had a wedding and I did go to the reception as it was in a most up market setting, in a place where I would never get to go otherwise. I hate receptions as they are so boring but along I went to the nearby W Hotel for the experience.  Yes, it was just a fabulous setting within the court yard of what had once been the Russian Embassy.  Yes, the food was tops and I had a couple of enjoyable conversations.

Still what hit me and left its mark was how people did not mix beyond their own kind.  The marriage was between an Irish male and a Thai female, lovely couple and highly educated and sophisticated.  All that said about them, my experience was how there was no bridge made between the Thais and the farang.  It was like there were two separate populations at the same party.  Why was this so?

My theory is that this was not a cultural thing at play but rather a hi-so thing.  I remember words of wisdom from an Augustinian in the Philippines who told me that the real difficulty in different people coming together was not to do with nationality or race but class.  What I saw at the reception was how the hi-so people kept to themselves, failing to reach out to others at the same function.  It was like there were no other people there beside their own.  So no recognition was made and there was definitely no new coming together that I saw.  That may be wrong and it may seem strong but I have said it as this speaks of my own experience.

Moving on from this, my experience whether in Church or in society is that there is real camaraderie among the ordinary citizens, the grassroots, while there is a shared experience held by the same peoples of being stepped upon from above by those who think they are in in control, believing they have the power and the answers and so the right just to act as they so choose.  Truth is that the real power is with the people which means all of us together, whether hi-so or not, whether at the top of the ladder or the bottom.

It is the little people that matter as well.  The power lies at the base for that is what holds up the pyramid where the hi-so sit so precariously at the top, We are not one above the other.  Rather we are all in together, accompanying each other in life.  So let's enjoy the party together next time.

Culture is a Powerful Force (or at least in Thailand)

Om, my great friend here, just had a long awaited and necessary operation.  During his hospital stay, I stayed in his room as his night carer.  This may seem strange to an Australian but that is what happens here when one goes to hospital.  You are joined by your family who come to take care of your needs and comfort you in your pain.  I believe in Latin America they called this accompaniment.

Anyway, the morning after the operation, he is talking to his friend in the USA, Jim, by Skype and I hear the conversation which just captivates me as it said it all about the power of culture in a Thailand. 

Om has just moved into his newly owned condo and as such he is having his house warming but it is much more in Thailand.  Like most things in Thailand, the housewarming is centred around Buddhism and family.  So all the family is due at the condo for making merit, the second day after his operation.   

The scene I share that gave me my insight of the week was of Om in his hospital bed, 18 hours after his operation and still in great pain, talking with Jim by Skype.  The conversation from Om goes like this -  

My family and Buddha come to my house tomorrow so that I have good life; have good money and have good luck.  

So you may be lying in pain in a hospital bed but where must you be; what must you do?  

While you need care, you leave hospital to go home to be with the family and make merit.  Now you see what matters.  It is not driven by personal care or common sense but by the local culture.  

I am so western and have to finally just accept that culture rules the day here.  So I say nothing.  What is the point?  If I shared my view and advised staying an extra day to receive good and needed care, I could appear to be even worse than culturally offensive.  Culturally imperialist!  This is the problem with us westerners.  We don't get it and become like new vogue cultural colonizers.  So stand back and keep quiet.    

Truth is that while I may argue for Om to stay in the hospital, not to go home may have more dire consequences for him - consequences around his world view, psyche and relationships with his family, his world and his very self.  These are much more pertinent and life threatening issues at play than any concern for self-care and need for intensive medical care.  I have to learn to just bite my tongue, respect the local ways and think to myself - remember you are a westerner in someone else's country.

Still there are judged times to speak out as no culture is 100% perfect but more importantly there are ways to speak out that are both sensitive and appropriate, as well as proving more successful in achieving some good.  Never be the western imperialist as it is both wrong and ineffective.

Just smile and good luck as you face the challenges of everyday life in a different land!  

No One Takes Responsibility

"If vans were people, they would be weeping in frustration and wailing for compensation.  The government, claiming wisdom, has declared vans the chief culprits in highway deaths. ... In other words, the government has designated vans as humans, responsible for killing thousands every year." 
So I read in last Sunday's Bangkok Post. 

By what is written, the government is not targeting speed or alcohol abuse, nor the lack of good regulation covering the working conditions for van drivers.  Rather it is all about the vans themselves.  This highlights what I learnt very early on in my time here when dealing with Immigration.  I was told to always check the stamp I was given by the Immigration officer as if I was given the wrong date, it would be my fault and I would have to deal with it.  

I had wanted to continue on with my reflection from last week but then I read this on Sunday and could not miss the chance to take up on this point.  Still I have to ask if there is a connection. 

Once again, this last Sunday, no other priest came to help give out communion at the 10am mass which had its usual big crowd.  I could accept that this is the way it is in the Thai Church where only clergy and seminarians are designated to distribute communion and just continue the task of distributing communion alone.  However, that would be irresponsible of me as communion would always take too long.  I also know the practice of the wider Church in fostering inclusion in ministries and so why make people suffer with long communion times which act against good liturgical practice.   I choose then to act such that this does not happen at the 10am mass. 

It is only here that I know that only clergy and seminarians can distribute communion.  I have no reasonable or even any reply at all to the question - Why is it so here?  All I can say is - This is Thailand.  This is an often used statement used by foreigners when trying to understand what goes on here.  There is often no reasonable or even logical explanation for what you may see or experience here.  So you just accept this is the way it is and nod your head to the thought - This is Thailand.  Still there remains the next step if you are going to accept responsibility for what happens in your sphere of influence.  This is about taking the action you need to take to deal with what is before you.  This is taking responsibility.

Taking responsibility means you are not just ruled by outside forces, even if it is local culture.  It means standing back and thinking through a situation and the issues surrounding it.  Then act wisely in response to make the situation better or rectify any wrongs.  That makes sense to me but my mind is so western and I am in Thailand. 

Am I a Catholic priest who is an Australian or an Australian who is a Catholic priest?

Now, this week's title may seem pedantic or just totally ridiculous but it does have a scintillating relevance for me as one having lived so long in Bangkok and being part of the Thai Catholic Church.

I am part of a local Church where only priests and seminarians can give out communion at mass even when then are hundreds coming forward for communion and there are not enough clergy available.  Yet lay eucharistic ministers practise elsewhere in the Church under Church discipline and law for ministries.  Why is this so here?
I have a wedding soon and the bride and groom were told that even the singer has to be Catholic.  I have never heard of such a thing.   Why is this so here?
I preside at eucharist in a cathedral where a fortune was spent on renovation and prestige presentation but the finished product shows a lack of appreciation of symbolism with no proper place for the presider to preside.  Why is this so here?
At church, people are told what posture is important for showing reverence but it all just seems to copy how Buddhists posture themselves at the temple.  It is not a Catholic Church requirement.  Why is this so here?  

I try to understand what I am caught up in.  Under the surface, this Church seems to be made up of Catholics who are so affected by Thai Buddhism.  They do not seem to appreciate our belonging to the universal Roman Catholic Church, so rich in history and tradition.  This is so even with the priests here.  What is done here is all about being the Thai Catholic Church.

Is it about this being such a young Church?  No, there is much more at play.  I can sense this.  Once again, I put forward that the base card is the culture card.

After talking this week with a long term mentor here, I take to heart his line that the Thai Catholic priest is Thai who expects to be treated like a Buddhist monk which means with great reverence and respect.  My friend did not even mention their being part of the Roman Catholic Church as he explained that this does not matter to them.  It is about being Thai and they then they are Thai in a certain way - the Roman Catholic way.

For me, this leads to a strange experience.  It leads to frustration as I believe it should be different with rightful change leading to a greater appreciation of our wider belonging but not to be, I am told.  Just accept it for what it is, I am told.  But how can this be?  I still yell this line to myself as this is not just about me but wider, deeper and more important issues.

Maybe this all takes me back to a basic reason why I remain here so long.  This Church needs me and others like me for reasons that they do not understand and probably never will.  They need us to show them the other Church, to show them other models of Church.  It is not for me to judge their ways.  It just is that the Church is so rich and the Thai way is not the only way.  Just following the Thai way can be so limiting, even if that is what Thai priests and bishops may believe.  I say this with the deepest respect and with a true sense of humility as who am I?  But!