We gather

We gather
to give thanks for my 25 years.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

The pub with no beer

It was St Patrick's Day and so off to my local Irish pub I went only to discover it open but deserted.  It was eerie! This was the result of an alcohol ban imposed by the government on the country that day due to national elections.

In certain countries, and not just Thailand, that is what they do on election day - ban the sale of alcohol.  In other countries, like Ecuador, I believe this practice is to act against possible acts of violence.  In Thailand, it is named as being necessary to act against electoral fraud as it is judged that alcohol may be used to buy votes - "vote for me and I will buy you a drink".

This can be very true.  What I saw in Ecuador was that people would vote for the candidate who gave them a free t-shirt or baseball cap.  Such is democracy in parts of the world.  I guess it is apt to jump a step and say "such is humanity".  We are a fickle lot and our level of sophistication does not go very deep.  We are easily led, or maybe we have no choice but to follow, especially in environments where leadership is about control. 

It is fascinating and tragic to watch power go mad where those in authority are handed full control just because they are the ones in authority.  The result is chaos and abuse under the basic paradigm at play which can be summarised in a simple sentence. 
"The boss is handed and accorded full control on the basis that he knows everything and can do anything." 

This is a recipe for a train crash.  Be careful crossing the track. 

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