My Bangkok does take its toll.

I lay myself down where my boots stand. 

My Bangkok presents itself as the mecca for tourist shopping, as the hub for pleasure and relaxation, as the paradise for those seeking fame, fortune and beauty.  It may be all that but it is much more, and sadly so for some.

It can be a fool's paradise, the place where those seeking their worldly goals and pleasures may find their downfall.  My Bangkok is another big city in our world where ones rise and ones fall, and both may befall the same persons in very quick succession. 

While I was listening to the UN Special Rapporteur speak this week in my Bangkok on the freedom of religion in Asia, I heard the tragic tales of how religion is being abused to oppress minority populations like the Rohingya in Myanmar.  Meanwhile, I glance at the local paper during this same lecture and see that the Bangkok news focus in Miss Thailand World 2018.  where is the focus?  Doubly tragic!

Where do we place our hopes and dreams?  Where are we placing our energy for life?  Is it all fairy tale stuff?   Is it all overcome by lights and glitter and all that does not really matter?  How do we deal with the harsh realities?  Unrealized and failed hopes and dreams?  The fantasies that never eventuate in a tempting Bangkok?  The lives undone and lost by the way?

Then I came across a line from Graham Greene this week:
"The only unforgivable sin is despair."