Yesterday we explored Bangkok’s public transit, taking the tourist boat up and down the river, then the sky train and metro to Lumpini Park, where we met with The Expat Teacher, her family, and her friends for a classical concert. The park was a bit confusing, but it seemed a safe bet to find the concert by following the white people carrying a picnic blanket and a baguette.
After the concert, The Expat Teacher got a free pass to go out for fun with no kids, so we three hopped in a cab for Talat Rot Fai, whose best translation seems to be traffic light market, although traffic means busy/congestion, not necessarily the signal at an intersection. It’s a large open market around a small trendy shopping building, whose distinctive feature is a large number of small fly-by-night bars based out of old VW buses. They cater to a college crowd, although there were some older and younger people there too. Lots of street food of course, along with retro toys, vintage electric fans, gadgets, and of course clothes. As we walked around, The Expat Teacher said she thought the place was cool, but also represented a newer Thailand, one very different than the place she first came to 7 years ago. Now, she said, you can buy anything. There’s all this stuff. She commented that the Dalai Lama had said that Thailand has “lost its way.”
Something I hadn’t realized before this conversation is how much American values and Buddhism are at odds. Part of the American Dream is that you can have anything you desire. If there is something that you want, you can and should pursue it and obtain it, whether it be an award, an achievement, an object, or some property of your life or lifestyle. It’s ok to get what you want. But a core tenet of Buddhism is the rejection of desire, because desire creates unhappiness. An enlightened person wants nothing.
This tension between being happily content and wanting more is easily to resolve in isolation; one can choose either and be well either way. But in a global or shared arena, the people who seek and pursue more typically end up with more power. I recall one discussion over a fire in the backyard of The Vegan Taxidermist in Berkeley, when someone commented that there’s more to life and government than GDP. I agree with the sentiment, but also think it is dangerous. Because if someone else thinks only of GDP, eventually they will have more money and therefore power. Cherishing your life/work balance is fine until someone buys all of your land because you’re so poor in comparison. Economic strength is a very good way to protect what you have.
But so far all we have seen is Bangkok. Our plans seem to be shaping up to head north, first to Ayuthaya with The Silamander, then Chiang Mai on our own, then meeting up with The Expat Teacher in Chiang Rai for the New Year. Who knows if this plan will stick, but it seems pretty good right now.
— The Professor
The Professor and the Private Eye: Adventures Abroad 