Status update

The Lord Buddha teaches us desire leads to suffering. And that is what we have seen in Bangkok the past couple of days. One group's desire has led to another group's suffering. But that is not the way it should be interpreted. It should be your own desire that leads to your own suffering. You can sit outside in a busy junction under the scorching sun and suffer for your self-proclaimed good cause all you want, as long as you don't hurt the people around you. But as soon as you monopolise parts of a concrete mogul, other people start to suffer. I suggest to all those covered in red cloth to visit some temples where Hell is depicted. The punishments in the afterlife for making other people suffer are not ones one could easily endure.

One thing that was not mentioned in the written press about the total destruction of Bangkok was the love of Thai people for their beautiful city. Journalists wrote about how they were destroying their own beautiful town. This could be far less from the truth. The majority of the protesters came down from other parts of the country to join the rallies. So they couldn't care less about burning down Thailand's capital. When everything comes to an end they return to their peaceful villages where nothing was, is or will be burning. They want to send a signal, they are misunderstood. They probably misunderstood their orders while they were torching the place down.

In the rest of the world elected governments are allowed to finish their term. Even though some people don't agree with the elected few, they give them a hard time and wait for the next elections. And if all is well, they will have their victory at that time.

Thailand has an ancient culture, but for some part it is still living according to that ancient culture. If you don't like the people in power, overthrow them by any means necessary. There are so many other ways of solving this problem.

The rioters have cooled off, everything is calm and the people of Bangkok have started a big clean up. Now the powers that be should start with a clean out. And don't forget to look in the mirror once in a while.

Let this beautiful country return to the peaceful haven it once was. Let the people live their joyous lives. Let all the violence come to an end.

The country will prosper and flourish and everybody will benefit from this.

Everybody will.

A resume

It has been a year since I set out on my great voyage and landed in this beautiful country. As they say, time flies when you're enjoying yourself and I have to admit, this year went by so fast, I don't know how I realised to do all the things I did. I thought it might be a nice moment to summarise my year here, make a small resume. Many things happened because I try to maintain a positive attitude and say yes to many proposals. Life is too short to say no to everything and it won't get you anywhere. If you want to gain some life experience, go outside and say yes. I went many miles and they left some impressions on me.

I got drinks from the richest people in Bangkok and bought drinks for the poorest. I had my own opinions and was the subject of several opinions. I taught new matter and learned a lot myself. I woke up in five-star hotel rooms which I didn't have to pay and opened my eyes in the slums of this great city. I met interesting people and people who wished they hadn't met me. I made great friendships and got verbally abused. I became a racist and embraced other cultures. I almost died and found a new life. I led a life covered in darkness and found a way to enlightenment. I could go on and on about all my new experiences, but this would get to monotonous and you would stop reading. And as all of you know, I try to keep this interesting, although a little bit. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, just beware where you express them. The only lesson I want to teach you today is to go out and live a little. You only get one chance at life, make it count.

One chance.