This was an absolute first for me. No, not that they are having a baby but that they used their reception as the public platform to announce the news and that this was followed by their running a competition for their guests on guessing the sex of the baby. There was even prize money for the first opened correct entry. All this at one of the poshest hotels in the country. Different!
My first reaction was one of internal disbelief and discomfort. Shouldn't they have told me before the wedding? I thought - Hold on! Do not react. Do not try to control the situation. Just see where it goes.
What I saw was how everyone present was so happy and supportive, even in a conservative Thailand where prestige and public presentation are everything. I reflected how the Church needs to reform itself so as to be able to speak to people today in their reality, instead of always being seen as standing above and telling people what to do with sex and their private lives. The Church is too much about upholding a morality that it uses to pronounce from on high. I am not advocating that that the Church simply be relevant or abandon good and needed values and a challenging vision needed for life and the uplifting of humanity. God forbid!
Rather it is about being able to lead by being with people and not above them, by affirming them ore and condemning them less, realising that control never works. They will ultimately do what they decide to do. Despite a controlling Church and even controlling society, people make their choices. Their chioices may not be in line with a Church stance nor with the rule of the elite in any society but that does not make their actions intrinsically evil. People are just being people. Let them relish their exploring more and let them enjoy the journey more.
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