It turns out we have come to Thailand at a very “auspicious” time. “Auspicious” being a very frequently used world to describe the excitement the Thais seem to feel about the 60th anniversary of the crowning of their king, which happened two nights ago.
It’s a great time to be here – there is so much celebrating going on, and it appears that it will last much of the tree weeks Andrew, Amy, and I are in Thailand. Everyone is wearing yellow (royal-colored) shirts. The people seem to love the royal family very much. It’s really beautiful to see them rushing to honor this leader of their country. The photos from primary ceremony from a couple nights ago are on Andrew’s website – please check them out. It’s just beautiful. The fireworks at the end were a little frightening … definitely not far enough away for US safety standards … but no one got hurt.
It appears that the king is more of an inspirational and moral character leader for the Thais than he is a political one. There is a prime minister to deal with those matters. It is quite amazing to me to see the success the king has had at motivating the Thai people to live well, to treat each other with respect, and to work for the betterment of their country. I wish there were an equivalent in the US … someone we could all respect, regardless of our walk in life, who could motivate us to love the people around us and to work for the world to be a better place. I know it sounds corny … but it’s a very beautiful thing to see.
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