Guiding light

Today's issue of the Bangkok Post is entitled "guiding light", a term commonly associated with His Majesty the King. He is regard as the one person most capable of keeping Thailand headed in the right direction.

Foreigners often have difficulty understanding the high love and regard the Thai people hold for their King. In the essay below, Sanitsuda Ekachai, one of the Bangkok Post's most senior writers, attempts to explain, not only for foreigners, but for Thais alike. It is not, as many people might think, just His Majesty's 60 years' of hard work in support of this people, Ms Ekachai explains. The King himself is an inspiration, she says.

    I have divided the essay up into several parts for easier reading and listening. Notice that I have highlighted certain key ideas in italics. 

    The essay will give our international readers some good insights into the important role His Majesty the King plays in Thai society. Our Thai readers, too, will gain insights. The essay should be especially useful in helping them explain the reverence Thai people feel for the King in their conversations with foreigners.

MORE THAN A MONARCH
The King rekindles our belief in humanity —  and ourselves (June 9, front section, page 3)

Sanitsuda Ekachai

You can hear this section here.


The Pillar of Stability. The Father of a Nation. The Guiding Light. His Majesty the King is all of this to the Thai people. And much more.

Foreign newcomers often express astonishment at our deep love for the King. That astonishment quickly fades, however, once they learn of the King's longstanding dedication to the Thai people, particularly to the majority who are poor.

So they conclude for themselves that Thais love the King dearly because of his good deeds. In a world where meritocracy prevails, this is the ultimate virtue; for what you earn must be through commitment and hard work, not birthright. Under this rationale, the King receives so much love from his subjects because he has given so much of himself. As simple as that.

monarch – the king, queen, emperor or empress of a country
rekindle – to bring back; to think about or feel an interest, thought or feeling that you used to have
pillar – the most important part of a system which makes it strong and successful; a support;
astonishment – surprise
fade – to gradually weaken or go away
dedication – giving a lot of time and effort to something because you think it is important
conclude – to decide that something is true based on the facts you know
meritocracy – a society or social system in which people succeed because of what they achieve rather than because of their wealth or social status
prevail – to become normal or common
ultimate – the most important or powerful
virtue – good quality or way of behaving
birthright – a basic right you have because of the family you were born into or the country where you were born
rationale – the set of reasons a belief is based on

You can hear the next section here.

But is our reverence for His Majesty as simple as that?

His Majesty is often described as the world's hardest-working monarch. And he is. During his 60-year reign, the King has initiated thousands of projects to improve the quality of life of the rural poor and to nurture the severely degraded environment back to health.

Over the past six decades, the King has spent most of each year in the rugged countryside. He has visited villagers in every nook and cranny to listen to their problems, to ask them what they need to ease their difficulties, and to empower them by providing what it takes to help them become self-reliant in the long run.

The King also has used his passion for science to offer his country several cost-effective technologies to deal with the problems of drought, flash floods, water pollution, soil erosion, energy shortages and public health.

Thanks to modern communication technologies, the King still closely monitors the situations of his people with deep concern so they get fitting help in their time of need.

reverence - a feeling of great respect for someone
reign – the period of time during which a king or queen rules
initiated – started; begun
rural – of the countryside outside of cities or towns (which are described as urban)
nurture – to care for something while it is growing and developing
degraded – in a poor or worsening condition
rugged – uneven and often covered with rocks, making it difficult to move through
nook and cranny – every part of something
self-reliant – to be able to take care of yourself
cost-effective – not expensive for the results you gain; less expensive than other methods
drought – a long period of time with too little rain
flash floods – sudden floods
soil erosion – the gradual wearing away or loss of the ground in a particular area
monitor – to watch closely

You can hear the next section here.

Yet our devotion for the King goes much beyond the tangible.

We are ever grateful for what he has done for the country. But our deep reverence for him comes not only from what he does, but also from what he is.

In the eyes of the Thai people, His Majesty is the embodiment of virtue, the symbol of purity. He is the one person who keeps our faith in goodness alive in an era of dirty politics and cut-throat competition where anything goes.

Thailand is now a different country from what it was 60 years ago. From a sleepy agrarian society governed by traditional values on what was right and wrong, it is now an urbanised, consumer society where money talks loudest.

From a society where group norms kept people's behaviour in check, it is now a jungle of individualistic pursuits for material gain and sensory pleasure.

Thailand has seen many bumps in between. The Cold War. The communist insurgency. Military coups. Environmental devastation. Street uprisings. Corrupt governments. The economic crash. The tsunami. Southern strife.

These bumps elevate public anxiety and insecurity. Throw in a corrupt police force and flawed judicial process, and morality flies out the window because people cannot rely on the rule of law, but only on their personal connections and the ability to pay their way.

Had it not been for the King, we might have lost our faith in goodness long ago.

tangible – clearly seen, felt or noticed
grateful – thankful for something
embodiment – a person or thing that represents an idea or quality
virtue – goodness; a high moral standard
purity – moral goodness
cut-throat – very aggressive and often unfair
agrarian – related to the farm or agriculture
norms – normal ways of behaving
in check – under control
individualistic pursuits – activities carried out by individual persons rather than groups
material gain – the acquisition of possessions or money
sensory – relating to your senses: hearing, sight, feeling, etc.
bumps – problems
insurgency – a violent attempt to oppose the government of a country
coups (coup d’etat) – the forceful takeover of a country’s government by a group of people, usually from the military
devastation – destruction
strife – fighting or strong disagreements
elevate – to raise
anxiety – worry
flawed – containing weaknesses or mistakes
flies out the window – is lost

You can hear the next section here.

When we are up to our necks in corrupt and arrogant politicians, our hearts light up when we see our King walking tirelessly under the scorching sun in faraway villages, or sitting on the ground talking with simple folk, however dirt-stained .

When it is fashionable for the rich and powerful to flaunt their wealth, our heart warms to know that our King uses locally made, simple sneakers, never throws away half-used pencils, eats brown rice despite its stigma as food for prisoners, and adopts street dogs as his pets.

When sensory pursuits are the country's main obsession, it is good to know that our King is a serious meditator.

Where few dare to tread, such as the areas infested with insurgency, the King makes it a point to go there because it is where help is most needed.

When the country is reluctant to embrace ethnic minorities, the King leads the way by being there with them so the rest of the country knows all must be friends if peace is our goal.

When the greed-driven economy crashed, he guided the country back to its senses with his self-sufficiency philosophy.

up to our necks in –very troubled by something; very frequently bothered by something
arrogant – behaving in a proud, unpleasant way towards other people because they believe they are more important than others
scorching – very hot
flaunt – (negative) to show off; to display in a very obvious way for other people to see
sneakers – casual (informal) shoes with rubber soles
stigma – something to be ashamed of
obsession – something which you spend all or most of your time thinking about
tread – to go
infested with – full of something bad
reluctant – unwilling; hesitant,
embrace – to accept or support
greed – the desire to have more of something than is necessary or fair
self-sufficiency – the ability to produce what you need in a sensible, limited way

You can hear the next section here.

In His Majesty the King, we see the beauty of simplicity. We see courage. Indiscriminate giving. Compassion. Perseverance. And spirituality.

By feeling close to him, we feel close to his virtues which makes us feel much better about ourselves when we are constantly sucked into a world of competition and selfishness.

We may feel hopeless over the country's general decline of morality. We may feel disappointed with ourselves when we cannot resist the surrounding temptations. But we have not lost touch with goodness, thanks to the King.

Because of what the King is, we know what we should strive to be.

Life may be strewn with difficulties. And we may be weak and imperfect. But knowing that we are loved by such a great person who is the embodiment of virtue gives us magical strength to face come what may. To follow in his footsteps. To rediscover the good in ourselves.

More than a monarch, His Majesty is the one person who in times of darkness and despair rekindles our belief in humanity — and in ourselves. This is why we love and revere our King so much.

Long Live the King!

simplicity – not complicated; able to be understood or done easily
indiscriminate – done equally without favouring anyone in particular
compassion – a feeling of understanding, sympathy or pity for someone who is suffering
perseverance – the ability or quality of continuing with something even though it is difficult
spirituality – the quality of relating to our beliefs and thoughts, rather then the body and our physical surroundings
decline – a lessening or reduction
resist – to fight against or refuse to accept
temptations – the feeling of wanting to have something even though you know you shouldn’t
strive – to make a great effort to do or get something