May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been,
The foresight to know where you are going,
And the insight to know when you have gone too far.
~ Old Irish Blessing
A couple of news articles came from literally different directions today to coalesce into a common theme. Thailand may become the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, and the Boy Scouts of America will now allow openly gay members in spite of their lip service to God and morality. And yet, it should not be that shocking as there is nothing new under the sun. In fact, adherence to God’s ideals in any area of life is a rarity, which should get us thinking about our heritage and why it is so special.
Thailand is a country full of paradoxes. Most people in Thailand are Buddhist, which is a religion/philosophy (and people debate which it really is) that promotes toleration to a fault. In Thailand’s case, I mean that literally “to a fault”. It tolerates sex tourism, and corrupt police often turn a blind eye to underage prostitution. People often let their neighbors get away with stuff because of greng jai, an extreme form of not offending others even as you would not want them to offend you.
Ironically, the predominant form of Buddhism practiced in Thailand is Theravada Buddhism, which is rather conservative. In fact, many Thais in their personal lives are very conservative. Yet, these conservative Buddhists exist side-by-side with very corrupt government officials and sex peddlers. A land of paradoxes; a land of extremes.
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