The Necklace

-
Image
  “SHE WAS one of those pretty, charming young ladies, born, as if through an error of destiny, into a family of clerks. She had no dowry, no hopes, no means of becoming known, appreciated, loved, and married by a man either rich or distinguished; and she allowed herself to marry a petty clerk in the office of the Board of Education. . . .  She had neither frocks nor jewels, nothing. And she loved only those things. She felt that she was made for them. She had such a desire to please, to be sought after, to be clever, and courted.” —THE NECKLACE Guy de Maupassant    France, 1884 (pic by Grok) Read this short story here:  https://americanliterature.com/author/guy-de-maupassant/short-story/the-necklace

Songkran Festival สุขสันต์วันสงกรานต์ (Thailand)

-

Happy New Year--again! Our friends in Thailand have had one wet weekend, celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year ( "สวัสดีปีใหม่" )
One feature of the day is always more fun for the younger generations while the older folks take what they can, as light as they are able. Starting the New Year means starting clean and fresh, so tossing water at one another by nearly every means possible marks the three days of festival. Buckets, garden hoses, pots and pans, even water balloons and water guns of various types keep everyone fairly doused. The symbolism (of course) is washing off the filth of the previous year and starting over.

Recent years have seen a boost in tourism in Thailand as people travel to become, shall we say, “culturally immersed” in the hottest month of the year. Someone once asked, “how does one avoid getting wet during Songkran?” No satisfactory answer comes apart from “don’t throw water and babies, the elderly and people driving.”

Is it really that easy? Does a splash of water soothe the conscience? Does giving alms and food to monks actually erase shame and guilt? Who is being appeased when one visits the temples for merit? How does changing behavior erase what was done in the past?

One can’t help but ask.


Popular posts from this blog

Rock Me, Epictetus!

-
Image
“Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?” EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.3.6 b –8 
Read more

The Smooth-flowing Life

-
Image
Legend has it that the astronomer Ptolemy (1st century A.D.) suggested that falling stars were caused by the gods moving in the heavens, thus knocking stars out of their places. Somehow people reasoned that that if the gods were moving, they must be getting close to earth so they would lift their "prayers" or "wishes" (literally, "desires") whenever they saw the stars falling in hopes the gods would notice and grant a favorable answer. But how does one wish on falling star? Once you see it, it's gone before the wish or prayer can be made! The answer is simple: meteor shower. That's how to get your wish. Mrs. Ann Hodges had a wish fall right into her lap. Sort of. In 1954 Mrs. Hodges was sleeping on the couch when a 8 1/2 pound meteorite fell through her house and into her living room where it bounced off the radio and struck her left hip leaving her with a bruise. Not sure what she was wishing, but that's not how to do it. Epictetus hel...
Read more