Trying to get to the bottom of this Thai word is
like herding frogs. There are so many angles of understanding linked to it. My
wife and I have friends, the wife being Thai, so, the next time we see her, I
will discuss this paradoxical word.
It’s a word that’s close to my heart. Like most of
us, I don’t cope too well with tension in all its forms, including passive
aggressiveness, toxic language, harsh words, and the like. I usually excuse
myself. As I get older, that feeling has become more intense.
Empathy is a quality that is deeply lacking in
society as narcissism, self-interest and selfishness have made inroads into
this broken society.
My wife and I were reading the Bible this morning
and afterwards, she asked, ‘What is your favourite Bible verse?’ This is our
joy—the wandering musings of the mind.
‘Psalm15,’ I
said. We read it. It’s all about being human. To be more specific, it is God’s
message to humans regarding moral values towards God and our fellow man.
It speaks about being blameless. Speaking truth
from the heart. Words that utter no slander. Who does no wrong to their
neighbour. Who keeps promises. Who cannot be bribed, and so on.
This brings me back to that Thai word. Deeply
embedded in Thai society’s consciousness is empathy for neighbour. I like that,
it’s the way we all should live.
You can read more about Psalm 15 in the following
link:
Kreng Jai and the feelings of others
Image by https://unsplash.com/@timwildsmith
Trying to get to the bottom of this Thai word is like herding frogs. There are so many angles of understanding linked to it. My wife and I have friends, the wife being Thai, so, the next time we see her, I will discuss this paradoxical word.
It’s a word that’s close to my heart. Like most of us, I don’t cope too well with tension in all its forms, including passive aggressiveness, toxic language, harsh words, and the like. I usually excuse myself. As I get older, that feeling has become more intense.
Empathy is a quality that is deeply lacking in society as narcissism, self-interest and selfishness have made inroads into this broken society.
My wife and I were reading the Bible this morning and afterwards, she asked, ‘What is your favourite Bible verse?’ This is our joy—the wandering musings of the mind.
‘Psalm15,’ I said. We read it. It’s all about being human. To be more specific, it is God’s message to humans regarding moral values towards God and our fellow man.
It speaks about being blameless. Speaking truth from the heart. Words that utter no slander. Who does no wrong to their neighbour. Who keeps promises. Who cannot be bribed, and so on.
This brings me back to that Thai word. Deeply embedded in Thai society’s consciousness is empathy for neighbour. I like that, it’s the way we all should live.
You can read more about Psalm 15 in the following link:
Psalm 15 (biblehub.com)
Have a good day.
Image by https://unsplash.com/@timwildsmith