Why are Thai people so against thinking?

[afsheen]

I noticed that even if you talk about the most simple thing, thai people will often say either "You think too much",  "Not think too much" or "stop think, make headache"

 

Why are Thai people so against thinking? Is it something to do with Buddhism?

 

It's our ability to think that separate us humans from monkeys and other animals. If we dont think then we become same as monkeys.

 

 

[PatOngo]

Good post, really got me thinking, now I have a headache so I stopped thinking about it.

[xylophone]

Evolution here is still in its infancy. 

[neeray]

Bad post, really got me thinking about people who paint with a broad brush.

Every society has a slice of narrow minded, non thinking people. I meet them everyday (in a developed country).

[Hummin]

What background have this no thinkers, and what do they do for work? 

 

 

[nikmar]

I think Buddhist beliefs contribute to it, as in, dont concentrate on the past as it is gone and cant be changed. Dont concentrate on  the future as it is yet to come, just do the best you can at present with what you have. 

 

But soem decisions my missis makes do alarm me with their lack of foresight.

[sirmud63]

i would call it the self cleaning gene pool.

[Esso49]

The post is unfair to Monkeys as it has been shown that Monkeys are problem solvers, albeit to a much lesser degree than humans.  The humble squirrel is too because it will think of a way to grab its nuts and remember it. Thais may not think too much but most Thai males are like squirrels insofaras you can often observe them scratching their nuts ????

[faraday]

Somewhat confused post.

 

The 'think too much' is about how westerners overthink things.

 

But stating that monkeys & other animals don't think, is incorrect.

 

There is plenty of scientific evidence that higher primates problem solve, which requires thinking.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/monkeys-can-think-about-thinking-too/

[Dmaxdan]

My wife sometimes points to my head and says "tick tock, tick tock"  I've never really been sure exactly what she is implying. Maybe its because I go cross eyed when I think to hard. 

 

 

 

[Peterw42]

Thais dont tend to think in a linear cause and effect manner. Lots of stuff is fate, karma, bad luck etc.

Get hit by a bus and its not so much the drivers fault, as a karma, bad luck thing.

Not much use thinking about precautions to do with not getting hit by a bus, as if its going to happen not much you can do about it.

The other end of the spectrum is the western over-thinking , anally retentive, cause and effect, blame someone or something .

I think there is a good balance somewhere in the middle.

 

What is anxiety/depression if not an over active, out of control, fight or flight reflex, from thinking to much.

 

[giddyup]

Sometimes I sits and thinks,

and sometimes I just sits.

[xylophone]

25 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Thais dont tend to think in a linear cause and effect manner. Lots of stuff is fate, karma, bad luck etc.

Get hit by a bus and its not so much the drivers fault, as a karma, bad luck thing.

Not much use thinking about precautions to do with not getting hit by a bus, as if its going to happen not much you can do about it.

The other end of the spectrum is the western over-thinking , anally retentive, cause and effect, blame someone or something .

I think there is a good balance somewhere in the middle.

 

What is anxiety/depression if not an over active, out of control, fight or flight reflex, from thinking to much.

 

I think there's a lot of truth in what you say, however I don't think it covers all of the possibilities.

 

I've seen many examples of Thais not being able to think things through and none would be more evident than when my ex g/f said she was going to open a restaurant/cafe in her tiny mud lined track leading to an elephant trekking camp, with a total number of occupants, including the elephant camp folk, of around 20.

 

So I asked her where the customers were going to come from, and her reply was simply, "if my food is good then customers will come". My reply was, "from where", to which she had no answer, simply stating over and over again that customers would come.

 

Of course they didn't and the whole thing folded two or three months into the venture.

 

I have seen exactly the same happen time and time again in the road in which I live, with Thai small ventures starting up and closing in rapid succession because of no business, and when I have spoken to the owner of the new restaurant/massage shop/beauty parlour which has opened up (for example) in the place where the old one was and asked why the old one closed, they simply say that it was doing no business, yet they open up and guess what – – go bust.

 

To me that shows an ability to be able to think things through/logic and understanding/rational thinking – – whatever label one wants to put on it.

[impulse]

All things in moderation.

 

Some people eat too much ice cream.  Some people drink too much beer.  Some people think too much.

 

Pointing out any one of them isn't an indication someone's against ice cream.  Or beer.  Or thinking.

[CGW]

Look no further than the "education system" or should that be called the "indoctrination period"

Once indoctrinated - they know their place! ???? 

[Peterw42]

10 minutes ago, xylophone said:

I think there's a lot of truth in what you say, however I don't think it covers all of the possibilities.

 

I've seen many examples of Thais not being able to think things through and none would be more evident than when my ex g/f said she was going to open a restaurant/cafe in her tiny mud lined track leading to an elephant trekking camp, with a total number of occupants, including the elephant camp folk, of around 20.

 

So I asked her where the customers were going to come from, and her reply was simply, "if my food is good then customers will come". My reply was, "from where", to which she had no answer, simply stating over and over again that customers would come.

 

Of course they didn't and the whole thing folded two or three months into the venture.

 

I have seen exactly the same happen time and time again in the road in which I live, with Thai small ventures starting up and closing in rapid succession because of no business, and when I have spoken to the owner of the new restaurant/massage shop/beauty parlour which has opened up (for example) in the place where the old one was and asked why the old one closed, they simply say that it was doing no business, yet they open up and guess what – – go bust.

 

To me that shows an ability to be able to think things through/logic and understanding/rational thinking – – whatever label one wants to put on it.

 

A bit like my wife who sells sunglasses, her answer to not selling many sunglasses is to buy more sunglasses. 

Yes, there does need to be a scientific and rational approach to most things in our life but it can be taken to far, then nobody falls in love, creates art, discovers something by accident etc.

 

I have always liked the saying

"Approach love and cooking with the same reckless abandonment"

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, neeray said:

Bad post, really got me thinking about people who paint with a broad brush.

Every society has a slice of narrow minded, non thinking people. I meet them everyday (in a developed country).

On this scale/level???

[NCC1701A]

40 minutes ago, xylophone said:

new restaurant/massage shop/beauty parlour which has opened up

yes and the copy and paste of the same businesses. No innovation. No new ideas. That is the sad part. 

[atyclb]

3 hours ago, neeray said:

Bad post, really got me thinking about people who paint with a broad brush.

Every society has a slice of narrow minded, non thinking people. I meet them everyday (in a developed country).

 

 

true but the op cites is related to their education system that does not teach critical-analytical=lateral thinking. in addition the avg iq further compounds things as does the culture adverse to introspection and/or accountability

[xylophone]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

To me that shows an ability to be able to think things through/logic and understanding/rational thinking – – whatever label one wants to put on it.

 

Sorry: that should read "an inability...………

[55Jay]

Well, it could be that you've pointed out something so bloody obvious that they should have thought of themselves, but didn't.  And so they are embarrassed and are basically telling you to Shut Up.

 

Or it could be you are miserable, always pointing out how "dumb" others are in order to feel empowered and superior.

 

[zzaa09]

11 hours ago, neeray said:

Bad post, really got me thinking about people who paint with a broad brush.

Every society has a slice of narrow minded, non thinking people. I meet them everyday (in a developed country).

 

Yep. Actually, these traits are probably more common than not throughout the civilised [whatever that is] world. But not recognized as such. 

 

The subliminal inquiry from the OP translates more along the lines of: Why can't these savages think and be like us.....the more superior lot? Which could be construed as quite typical from a deluded and fanciful Eurocentric disposition. 

[samsensam]

hummm... OP, i'm just guessing here but i'm thinking the majority of your interactions here are with lower class and or uneducated thais?

 

my thai friends, and i have many both male and female, certainly do not behave in the way you describe. they are in the main educated professionals with good jobs, or own their own business, many have studied a master degree abroad in their second language (have you done that?!), many have travelled abroad on business or for pleasure. they are intelligent and informed people.

 

the onus is on you to broaden your horizons rather that sit there making negative generalised critical comments.

[mentalcolonization]

I asked my wife how she thinks, it turned out that i wasnt thinking because she wasnt thinking. so i concluded, THEY DONT THINK. They live the life everyday as it comes

[melvinmelvin]

12 hours ago, xylophone said:

I think there's a lot of truth in what you say, however I don't think it covers all of the possibilities.

 

I've seen many examples of Thais not being able to think things through and none would be more evident than when my ex g/f said she was going to open a restaurant/cafe in her tiny mud lined track leading to an elephant trekking camp, with a total number of occupants, including the elephant camp folk, of around 20.

 

So I asked her where the customers were going to come from, and her reply was simply, "if my food is good then customers will come". My reply was, "from where", to which she had no answer, simply stating over and over again that customers would come.

 

Of course they didn't and the whole thing folded two or three months into the venture.

 

I have seen exactly the same happen time and time again in the road in which I live, with Thai small ventures starting up and closing in rapid succession because of no business, and when I have spoken to the owner of the new restaurant/massage shop/beauty parlour which has opened up (for example) in the place where the old one was and asked why the old one closed, they simply say that it was doing no business, yet they open up and guess what – – go bust.

 

To me that shows an ability to be able to think things through/logic and understanding/rational thinking – – whatever label one wants to put on it.

 

another variant of what you say, that I have seen quite a few times;

 

soi of some length

Thai houses with Thai people on both sides

lady in one house get good idea of opening a salon/barber shop

the only one in the soi, she e. out a living

2 months later - the soi has 4 or 5 salons / barber shops

2 months later they are all closed - bankrupt

 

 

 

[blackhorse]

Oh dear. It's the uneducated thais that say that "think to much 'Given that the majority of farang have married into village girls or associate with bar girls etc.

 

You really think the higher class we'll educated in a high profile career would say you tink to mut?

 

There is more to Thailand than isaan or isaan exports

 

 

[ChakaKhan]

Why Everyone here SO Serious!!???  mai pen rai.....sabai sabai--im gonna go take another nap ????

[Odysseus123]

To understand the Thai people one should forget about 'Thai Fever' or 'Perfect Dancer' and get to the source of it all..

 

Julian Jaynes;

 

'On the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind'

 

In short-they're nuts.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I think part of the problem is Thais generally are not taught to "think and reason" when they grow from youngsters through their school years. It strikes me that there's a decided lack of intellectual thought curiosity in the average Thai, and I'm not talking based on experience with bar girls or Isaan peasants.

 

They're taught to memorize things, and told supposed facts. But not to question why things are the way they are, or consider how they got to be that way, or how they might be different, or even, how things are here compared to how the same things are in other parts of the world.

 

So, I go to a large private graduate-level university here in BKK, and I find accepted master's theses written in English by Thais or other Asian students where sizable portions of the written text have clearly been cut and pasted from other sources without any attribution. Or students are paying others to complete their assignments. Or students who defend their thesis, fail, defend again, fail, defend again, and then finally are passed just to get them thru the system.

 

Or, I have a Thai acquaintance who wants to buy some kind of house. They have a general idea of their budget and go to talk to loan officers at some banks. Come back saying the banks will give them a purchase loan that will cost XX,XXX baht per month. What's the interest rate? Dunno. How about how the monthly payment will change after the first couple years promotional rate? Dunno, didn't ask.

 

It just seems to go with endless variations of those kinds of things around these parts.

 

[DILLIGAD]

I think part of the problem is Thais generally are not taught to "think and reason" when they grow from youngsters through their school years. It strikes me that there's a decided lack of intellectual thought curiosity in the average Thai, and I'm not talking based on experience with bar girls or Isaan peasants.
 
They're taught to memorize things, and told supposed facts. But not to question why things are the way they are, or consider how they got to be that way, or how they might be different, or even, how things are here compared to how the same things are in other parts of the world.
 
So, I go to a large private graduate-level university here in BKK, and I find accepted master's theses written in English by Thais or other Asian students where sizable portions of the written text have clearly been cut and pasted from other sources without any attribution. Or students are paying others to complete their assignments. Or students who defend their thesis, fail, defend again, fail, defend again, and then finally are passed just to get them thru the system.
 
Or, I have a Thai acquaintance who wants to buy some kind of house. They have a general idea of their budget and go to talk to loan officers at some banks. Come back saying the banks will give them a purchase loan that will cost XX,XXX baht per month. What's the interest rate? Dunno. How about how the monthly payment will change after the first couple years promotional rate? Dunno, didn't ask.
 
It just seems to go with endless variations of those kinds of things around these parts.
 

Thai history lessons do (must?) not include reference to failure/errors or mistakes so nothing can be questioned or lessons learnt by history.


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