The Tyranny of the Minority

Today marks the one year anniversary of Duang's immigration to America and my return to my home to care for my parents.

After being back in the USA after spending 9-1/2 of the past 11 years abroad, it has been very interesting to observe life here up close and personal once again.  It is even more interesting to observe Duang experiencing life here.

Change is a constant force in the Universe.  However, we are often oblivious to the change around us in that it frequently evolves slowly and we become acclimatized to the changes without recognizing the changes.

Duang has been amazed at the television commercials for pet food let alone "gourmet" flavored foods for dogs and cats.  Back in Isaan, villagers have dogs but the dogs fend for themselves and eat table scraps.  I am convinced that the dogs in America that are served pet food, not necessarily the "gourmet" variety end up with a more nutritious diet and more balanced diet than the Lao Loum farmers of Isaan.  She was astounded seeing television commercials for pet medicines.

I have been amazed at the number of television commercials offering legal services for "victims" of God knows what medicine they may have taken in the past.  Of course advertisements for Viagra and Cialis always bring a smile to our face since such advertisement is not on Thai or Lao television.  I am still trying to figure out how and why the man and woman end up in separate bathtubs after he supposedly takes Cialis for ED.

A development of our current society that has astonished me has been what I will describe as the tyranny of the minority in the United States.  Having lived in several countries, I have had experience of being a minority many times in my life.  I have commented many times that living in a foreign country gives you a great appreciation for tolerance.  I have lived in two Muslim countries, a Roman Catholic country twice, an atheist country, a Buddhist country, and a secular country.  I felt no obligation to try to change their beliefs or culture.

In all the countries I found people worshipping or not worshipping as they chose.  In Algeria you could go to a Christian service,  In Thailand, you can worship at a Mosque and be a practicing Muslim.  In Vietnam, I attended services at a Buddhist temple and knew of Christian services being held.  I am not advocating any religion over the other, but I only wish to point out that in the countries where I lived, the minority was free to practice and live as their faith or lack of faith dictated.  The majority respected the needs of the minority.  The minorities in those countries did not advocate or agitate for the dilution of the majority.  Tolerance was a thread that kept the fabric of society intact.

In the United States today there is a great sensitivity towards the need of the minority.  There are a plethora of lawyers and organizations all too willing to point out and "defend" the rights, sensitivities and needs of any given minority.  However upon my return here I have observed that the minority do not always reciprocate with sensitivity, consideration, and acceptance of the wishes and needs of the majority.  It seems more and more common that the majority is held hostage to peculiarities of the minority even if it be a single person.

As a child I was brought up to respect the will of the majority.  When I felt that I was suffering from the outrageous slings and arrows of childhood, I would complain perhaps even whine to my mother.  She always would admonish me to get along with others and ask "Who do you think that are?  Someone special?"  She did not want me to fore go my beliefs, opinions, or rights but in grained in me the principle that the rights of the minority need to be protected but that the minority had an obligation to get along with the majority.  Fighting to have things the way that I preferred, wanted, or was more "comfortable" was not a behavior that she supported.  It was an America of majority rule.

Today it seems to me that the arrogance of "I", the individual, has taken over our society, our dysfunctional society.  The arrogance of "I", prevents our politicians from compromising and doing what is best for our country and future generations of our citizens.  There is much less tolerance today in our America ... from the minority for the majority.  The result is an inability to govern effectively, if at all.

An example involves a court decision in Rhode Island related to prayer in a public high school. In  Cranston High School West there is a mural that has been in the school for almost fifty years as a gift from a graduating class in 1963.  The mural is a prayer that was written by a student.  A current student, who is an Atheist, petitioned the Court to have the banner removed because as an Atheist she "felt excluded and ostracized".  A Judge has ordered the prayer to be removed.  The city has covered the mural with a tarp while it considers a possible appeal.

The Judge's ruling has created a great deal of controversy in the city, Rhode Island, and on the Internet.  I wrote a comment on Facebook related to the case and briefly described my feelings on the situation.  The gist of my belief is "Hey people, tolerance is a two way street"  I indicated that I would be writing a blog regarding the situation and some one commented along the line of "Great, a crusade".  No, I am not on a religious crusade.  I am more on a quest for tolerance.

In regards to the Atheist:  No one is accused of forcing her to look at it.  No one is accused of making her read or recite the prayer.  No one is accused of forcing or even trying to force her to belief the prayer.  No one is accused of attempting to convince her to like the mural.  She as an individual felt "excluded and ostracized".  I am sorry but to me that sounds more like a personal problem than an issue for the high school, city, or Court to solve.  To me this is once again an example of the arrogance of "I" the lack of tolerance by the minority for the needs, sensitivities, and wishes of the majority.  This is a demonstration of a lack of respect by a minority for the majority.

It is the lack of tolerance in so many aspects of our daily life today in America that creates a lack of respect and prevents people from moving on and creating compromises.  It is the subjugation of the common good for the sensitivities of the few.  It is the suppression of majority rule.

This case has not been resolved and it will go on for much longer.  Most recent developments are the student has now received almost $40,000 in donations for her college expenses, the ACLU has requested $173,000 in legal fees from the City related to the case, and the mural has been covered up.

I repeat my statement "Tolerance is a two way street".

I see that America has changed, in my opinion a change that has not been for the good.

My wish is that abuse by the majority and tyranny of the minority will be eliminated from our society.

I suspect that they will be shortly after there is peace in the Middle East, and world hunger is eliminated.

If I have offended anyone with this blog, please do not be mean to me because I suspect that I will then feel "excluded and ostracized".  If that were to occur, I will provide my address so that I can receive donations for my heroic stand from those who share my sentiments.

Learning Faith In Isaan - Starting Out Young

Tey, 4 years old and Peelawat, 21 months, Worshiping

Last Saturday, we drove out to Tahsang Village early to participate in a merit making ritual that is related to Duang's decision to make special merit.  For the close of Buddhist Lent on October 23rd, Thot Kathin Day, Duang dressed all in white and sat with the other women who had decided to participate in a religious retreat at the Wat that night.  As Duang described it to me it greatly reminded me of Religious Retreats performed in the Catholic Church.


Duang and Other Women Preparing to Attend A Religious Retreat

Once we arrived at the Wat located amongst the sugar cane fields outside of Tahsang Village, Duang could no longer communicate or touch me - it was not personal it was just that I was a man.  Just as Monks can not touch a female, Duang and the other female retreat attendees could not touch a man.  There was one bright side to this requirement for me, Duang could not care for Peelawat, our 21 month old grandson, until the next morning.  I had the responsibility to care for him until after the morning alms giving ritual when I would return him back to his mother back in Tahsang Village.

Peelawat and I sat on the left hand side of the Wat while Duang sat with the other women on the right hand side.  Peelawat lasted 45 minutes when he decided that he had had enough of that "old time" religion.  I brought him back to the village and returned to the Wat to await my mother-in-law to complete her worship.  Well, part of the time was spent in ritual but a great deal of time was spent waiting for her to finish eating.  People earn merit by offering food to Monks for the Monk's single meal of the day.  Monks are not allowed to save food after they consume their morning meal so once they have taken their portions of food that they have been offered, people are invited to eat the remaining portions.  With this being Isaan, eating the remaining food becomes a great opportunity to socialize.  Everyone had a grand time eating, drinking water, and most of all chatting.

From the commencement of the morning ritual the women studied Buddhist dharma and meditated .  They also fasted for the entire day.  Breakfast on Thot Kathin Day was their only food until the following morning.

Motivated from their retreat experience Duang and Tey's Grandmother decided to follow up on earning additional merit.  They could earn additional merit by performing a special ritual for seven Wednesdays in a row by fasting, dressing in white, practising abstinence, chanting and meditating.  From their retreat they had a book with teachings and chants written down for the Wednesday rituals.  On each of the seven Wednesdays, they can not touch or even talk to a man no matter how old the male is.  They can eat only a meal of rice in the morning and liquid intake is restricted to just water.

Wednesday 10 October - Duangchan Worshiping At Her Shrine In Our Upstairs Alcove

On Wednesday night they sleep in front of the shrine located in their homes.  On Thursday morning they able to resume their normal life.

Four days ago, Saturday, we went to Tahsang Village for another special ritual.  In addition to the typical morning offering of food to the Monks, Duang and Tey's Grandmother were going to get a shower from the Monk.  This was something new to me.  This was something that I had to see because I had no idea what it was like.  Duang told me that she would wear all white clothing to go to the Wat and wear a change of dry clothing to come back home.  We left our home at 6:00 A.M. in 75F weather to pick up Tey's Grandmother before going out into the fields to get to the Wat.  At least that was our original plan.  When we got to Tahsang Village, we discovered that Tey, 4 years old, wanted to go with his Grandmother.  Since Tey was going, his sister, Mai, 5 years old wanted to go too.  When Peelawat, 21 months old, realized that his friend Tey was going, he wanted to go.  As we were finally loaded up in the truck, Kwan, 3 years old, wanted to go with her cousin Peelawat and friends Tey and Mai.  With the four children all under six years old loaded into the truck we headed off to the Wat.

Tey, Mai, Kwan and Peelawat Prepare to Worship Under the Supervision of Tey's Grandmother



Sometimes Lighting Joss Stick Offerings Can Be Difficult - Especially When You Are 2 or 3 Years Old

 The children are always well behaved and I welcomed their accompanying us out to the Wat.  I was not expecting to witness what was to be a very special morning.  Fortunately I had brought my camera gear to document the morning's activities.

I have written several times about the daily role of spirituality and religion in the life of the Lao Loum people here in Isaan.  The people's faith provides them with answers to daily concerns, a sense of direction for their life and comfort in the face of the hardships of life as well as confidence in the future.  I had noted that even at his early age Peelawat can recognize and demonstrate respect for Monks and religious objects.  Children participate or at least witness all the rituals related to Buddhism as well as Animist rituals that are performed here in Isaan.  There is no sense that the children are "too young" in regards to attending ceremonies or events.  However it was not until Saturday that I saw how much the young children knew about worshiping or witnessed their training.  For me it was a special treat.  Knowing the children personally made the experience even more special.

Kwan Performing One of Three Supplications Before A Statue of Buddha

Tey's Grandmother supervised the children at the various shrines located on the Wat's grounds.  There are different statues of Buddha representing days of the week.  Some of the staues are located in different buildings or pavilions on the grounds.  The children worshiped at two of the three places that we stopped at.

Flanked by Mai and Kwan, Peelawat Makes His Offering

Peelawat and Kwan Finish their Ritual By Placing Their Burning Joss Sticks in the Receptacle In Front of Buddha statue

Tey's Grandmother left to participate in the offering of food to the Monks while I finished with the children - mainly ensuring that they did not set themselves or anything else on fire.  It was so very nice to see the children learning of a power and entity greater than themselves. Peelawat, the youngest, was particular enamored in the burning Joss (incense) Sticks.  After awhile, after giving me sticks and a lighter for me to make an offering, he finally completed his worship.



Peelawat Contemplating His Burning Joss Sticks

 Peelawat and I walked to the large outdoor shrine just in time for the offering of food to the Monks. There were three Monks receiving food; the Abbott around 50 years old, a Monk around 25 or 30 years old and a Novice Monk about 12 years old.  The Novice Monk was excited to see me.  He had reminded Duang that last year I had given him 20 Baht.  I remembered him too.

The Wat's Young Novice Participates In Morning Ritual

Last year, at a village celebration where Duang's brother was performing a Mahlam Lao Show the boy was also attending.  Many of the children were snacking on ice cream, soft drinks, or other goodies.  This boy was not and appeared to be alone.  I gave him some money so that he could buy some treats to enjoy like the other children were able to.  His face was disfigured and I asked Duang about him.  The boy had been mauled by a dog and blinded in one eye from the incident.  He was also an orphan being cared for by an uncle.  He is not the first child that I have seen disfigured by a dog in Isaan.  Dogs are very common in the villages and Wats of Isaan.  The dogs are not kept in the manner and style of pet dogs in the United States.  They are definitely not pampered.  The dogs in Isaan are not neutered either.  The dogs are tolerated and there are no wide spread attempts to control the dog population.  The village dogs coexist, most of the time, with the villagers.  I guess they offer some protection against snakes.  Some dogs help with herding the cattle.  Except for selling them to the travelling dog meat agents, the villagers would never consider destroying a village dog. 

In Isaan the Wats are more than places of worship.  Wats also retain their traditional role of providing education, shelter and sustenance for those in need.  The young boy has been taken into the Wat and seems to be happy with his new set of circumstances.  Duang and I once met and spoke with a 38 year old Monk who had entered into his Wat when he was 9 years old.  The tradition of caring for others continues today. Seeing that the young boy is now in better circumstances made me feel good inside as well as reassured that the Lao Loum people can and do take care of each other without involving the government.

Duang About to be Blessed

At the completion of the morning food offering, we walked to another building.  Duang prayed at the shrine inside the building and then set a saht (woven reed mat) on the ground outside of the building's porch railing.  Inside the building the 25 year old Monk was praying as he dropped burning candle wax into a plastic bucket of water.  Duang knelt ouside on the saht.  The Monk came out on to the porch and sprinkled Duang using a brush made out of coarse reeds or rushes. This was apparently her "shower".  I had seen this type of blessing before as well as been on the receiving end of many of these blessings.  Later I found out that Duang had opted out of the shower because it was "too cold" (23C, 73F).  Tey's Grandmother, perhaps because she has more body insulation, went for the full shower.  She sat on the saht wearing a long skirt pulled up to her under arms and had the same type of water poured on her head and shoulders by the Monk.  After she changed into dry clothing we gathered up the children and returned to Tahsang Village.

Tey's Grandmother Being Showered With Holy Water

A Chicken Relaxes In Buddha's Lap

Once again I went home "smiling inside" thinking about all that I had seen and experienced that morning.

A Lesson Taught A Long Time Ago

First Notes of "Civics" Class - Sept 5, 6 1963

Recently on Facebook, friends of mine started to reminisce about the years that we spent together back in the early 1960s at West Side Junior High School in Groton, Connecticut.  Their posts and some of their photos caused me to review a special binder that I have kept over the past 47 years - my class notes from Mr Dander's 9th grade "Civics" class 1963 to 1964.  "Civics" as defined by Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is "A social science dealing with the rights and duties of citizens"

Strangely enough, yesterday when I reviewed the binder it was exactly 47 years to the day of our first class with Mr. Dander.

I was struck by some points from the first classes with Mr. Dander.  The first was:

"Have and keep an objective mind (see the good and bad of a person)"  As some of were to say later in that decade "Wow man that is heavy!"  How many of us fail to see both sides of a person?  Isn't it so much easier and comfortable to only see the "good" or only the "bad" of a person?  However being easier and perhaps more comfortable does not necessarily mean accurate or truthful.  However seeing the "good" as well as the "bad" in a person makes giving them a label much more difficult.  Labelling is the sanctuary and refuge of the intellectually lazy.  A label most often does not fully account for the complexities and nuances of a person's experiences, actions, personality, or beliefs.  A label confines a person to a narrow definition which makes judgement very easy.  A label encourages all the abuses that prejudice can justify in one's mind.  How many labels are being tossed around so casually today?  Racist, Terrorist, Socialist, Radical, Liberal, Conservative, Marxist, Progressive ... How are these labels making it more difficult to compromise and to have a reasonable discussion of real issues, and the finding of "common ground"?

When I am asked about who are my heroes I respond "There are people that I admire. There are people that I respect. What is a hero? To make someone a hero is to give them a free pass. People should not have free passes. Each and every day we need to prove ourselves, and to be judged on what we did or did not do that day."  I believe this and now wonder if this class planted the seed or was it a compilation of disappoints in people over the years?

The second point from the first class notes, is "Base all your statements on fact not prejudice" Prejudice, according to Random House American Dictionary, is "opinion formed without specific evidence"  So we are all guilty at some point of prejudice.  It is not solely a racial philosophy.  We can be prejudice "for" or "against" anything or anyone. It is the fact that our opinion is formed without specific evidence.  The other day I read an article on the Internet regarding the alleged enslavement of 400 Thai workers in America.  The article went on and stated that are more workers enslaved in America today than at the time of the President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. According to Wikipedia, 4,000,000 slaves were freed at the end of the Civil War.  Are there more than 4,000,000 enslaved workers in America today?  Where did the author of the get a number for "enslaved workers" in America today?  What is the definition for being a "enslaved worker" today?  These questions were not answered in the article.  They should have been.  They need to be. As citizens we should demand that authors and their related organizations be held accountable for the factual basis or lack of factual basis of their statements and opinions.  We should accept no less from ourselves or from those that we agree with.  What is the specific evidence that is the basis for your opinion?

The third point from Mr Dander's class was "We must forget our prejudices".  This goes hand in hand with keeping an objective mind.  If we remain prisoners to our prejudices we are unable to have an objective mind.  Without objective minds cooperating together to resolve common problems is extremely difficult with each person barricading themselves behind the walls of their prejudices, hearing only their own voice, spending their time as well as energy defending their unsubstantiated opinions. Much like what appears to be going on in so many circles today.

These were lessons to be learned a very long time ago.  These lessons were followed by lessons regarding the US Constitution and Connecticut Constitution.  I have long ago forgotten what Article 8 of the Connecticut Constitution (something to do with Yale University) and to be frank it has not had any impact on me in the ensuing 47 years.

 However, I have never forgotten the concepts of  "Have and keep an objective mind (see the good and bad of a person)", "Base all your statements on fact not prejudice", and "We must forget our prejudices".  These concepts have served me well and I suspect that I am not the sole beneficiary of these precepts.  These were lessons learned a long time ago but just as important to be learned today.

Mr Dander was not necessarily one of my favorite teachers but even after 47 years his impact on students, at least me, is evident and undeniable.  Teaching is much more than getting students to memorize a series of events and dates.  The true impact of teaching is instructing students on how to think rather than what to think and exposing students to different concepts so that they may formulate their own opinions based upon evidence.  Mr Dander did a fine job so many years ago.

It is astounding to contemplate how many lives a good teacher can impact.  It is frightening to contemplate how many lives a poor teacher can impact.

In those days there was a campaign for CARE - "Give a man a fish and he will eat for the day.  Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime".  The saying actually goes back many hundreds of years to Confucius.  So it is with teachers - They can teach us facts and dates in order that we can succeed on an exam.  They can teach us how to think for ourselves and expose us to themes as well as concepts in order that we may succeed and contribute in life.

It is to good teachers that we all owe our thanks and appreciation - for lessons taught.