E’s for endearment

To show our respect for the memory of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away one year ago today, we should celebrate his life more and mourn his death less. Any close examination of the late monarch’s life suggests that we follow the Six E’s:

1. Encourage the building of more schools and hospitals rather than Buddhist shrines and temples. There are now more than enough shrines and temples to satisfy the needs of tourists and Thai nationals. Such is not the case with our hospitals and schools.

2. Ensure that all Thai children be educated to be global citizens. To do so, English must be taught at all grade levels and to all social classes. Thailand should never allow English to become the language of the elite as French was in Tsarist Russia.

3. Emphasise the beauty of the Thai spirit rather than the body beautiful. The Lord Buddha taught us that life is transitory and one of suffering. In short, true beauty comes from a pure mind, not a pampered epidermis.

4. Empower the poor, not the rich. After all, poor Thais do most of the hard work. They grow our food; they build our roads and bridges; and they work long hours as street vendors to supply us with our wants and needs. The late King Bhumibol loved and honoured all poor people. We must never forget that.

5. Equalise the roles of men and women in Thai society. For centuries the burden of raising and educating children has fallen upon Thai women. Though there are exceptions, too many Thai men shirk their responsibility as husbands and fathers. This must stop if Thailand is to assume its rightful place in the world.

6. Elicit the power of the Thai people to solve political and social problems. The military has a specific function; namely, to safeguard the country from outside aggression. The late King Bhumibol was raised and educated under a democracy in Switzerland. He saw firsthand that “the voice of the people is the voice of God” — that Thailand would only reach its full potential when all citizens had an equal say in the management of the country.

If we strive to meet these ideals, if we attempt to live them each and every day of our lives, we will be doing something no funeral pyre or fancy funeral could ever do. We will be keeping the spirit of our beloved late King alive forever. AN ADMIRER OF THE LATE KING