Having hit the ground running when I arrived back in Sydney, I haven’t yet put up an entry from my time in Bangkok. I took a bunch of photos and could put many of them up here, but at this point, I’ve chosen to simply make one point based on an observation I made while out there…
I spent a lot of time around shops and markets in Bangkok. There was much bartering and were many deals to be had – if you can do well enough on the bartering front. My first day there, I stopped at an electronics store and was offered a great price on an Ipod. It was good enough that I had to ask if it was real – and thus I was introduced to their shopping system. With that question, I was then offered a real Ipod for a price higher than I would pay in Canada. As my time went on, I found I could get a copy of anything I wanted – from luggage, to cashmere wool suits, to perfume, silk ties, oil paintings, computer equipment, Billabong t shirts, and Rolex watches that even included a fake seal of authenticity.
The second thing I noticed is that everyone was constantly smiling. Smiling flight attendants, taxi drivers, hotel employees, shop owners, and pretty much everyone else on the street.
My first thought with the smiling was that the people were so incredibly friendly – which they were; together with polite and courteous. But I can’t help but ask… in a culture where you can get everything fake and they take pride in the real appearance of everything fake; in a place where people appear happy at times when you’d expect them to be sad, depressed, or upset; in a culture where people are continually courteous, even when faced with situations that would drive most of us to respond with substantially different words and attitudes; in a world of fake, do they even know what’s real? Are the people even capable of anything real? Not to say they aren’t, but I wonder…
And then I have to ask myself what I’ve been like. I have to ask if I’ve been real. Have I been real with others? Have I been real with God? Have I been real with myself? Am I now?
Are you?
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You know, i read this the other day already, and i've been pondering... it's a good illustration, but i'm seeing both sides of this idea. I'm just not sure how to put into words what i'm thinking.
Yes, we need to be more "real" sometimes, but how do we define "real"?
If we're going by feelings, and being "real," how many people would be walking around with long, sad faces all the time? And for Christians, would that be a true reflection of Christ in us? Not saying that Christians should put on a fake smile... but sometimes we need to look beyond how we "real"ly feel, and live by the truth that we know... and that might appear to be "fake."
Then comes into play the thoughts about speaking about things as if they are, before they are (examples... claiming healing, God changing Abram to Abraham long before the promise was fulfilled... etc.). So i'm seeing the smile on the face before the feeling of joy (happiness) ~ is that fake?
Well, i'm not sure if i'm making a lot of sense, but maybe it's enough to give you an idea?? Something to think about.
karen
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