Why Do I Need To Love Thailand?

[StreetCowboy]

People who fall in love with lumps of dirt are a bit crazy in my opinion.

I am a member of 'the world'. I do not love my country nor do I hate it. I am not a 'guest' in any country. I live on this planet the same as we all try to do.

Nationalism on any level, does not necessarily indicate a person's 'love for their country'. What it does indicate is the willingness to subjugate other 'peoples' & their countries for the sake of a lump of dirt or a flag (war).

I have found that people who decidely 'love their country' are bigotted or narrow minded, although this is sometimes not the case. 'Pride' is the further affect of this illness, which does nothing other than set people up for a big let down.

Essentially, all of this is very egotistical & subsequently quite ill-advised if one wishes to maintain a normal view & grasp on life.

You seem to be taking a very material or physical view of what you think a country is. Maybe that is why you are unable to love your country. A lack of love is a tragic thing, but maybe one day you will learn...

I was somehwat confused by the sentence "I have found that people... are bigotted or narrow minded, although this is sometimes not the case". I wasn't sure if this was a sweeping generalisation, or a non-statement - "I have found (some) people bigot(t)ed (there's a spell checker on here - pots and kettles!) and narrow-minded, although is is not always the case, and some people are not narrow-minded and bigoted."

When you said "this is all very egotistical" did you mean patriotism and putting your country first was egotistical, or that your personal opinion expressed in the post was egotistical? Neither struck me as such.

Anyway, perhaps a bit more respect for the feelings and beliefs of others, who very much identify with their countries, even though they cannot hold the country in their hand and say "This is Thialand or the USA or wherever", and a little bit of gratitude for the hospitality that those peple show in welcoming you into their society might not go amiss.

Getting back to the original question, I think perhaps there was a mis-understanding through the overuse of the word 'love' as a synonym for 'like'. "What do you like about Thailand" would seem an entirely reasonable question, even if in general you did not like the country; almost all of us could find something that we liked about this country, with a little effort

SC

[elkangorito]

My comments in blue.

You seem to be taking a very material or physical view of what you think a country is. Maybe that is why you are unable to love your country. A lack of love is a tragic thing, but maybe one day you will learn...

To me, loving a lump of dirt is materialistic. Loving other humans is not (generally).

I was somehwat confused by the sentence "I have found that people... are bigotted or narrow minded, although this is sometimes not the case". I wasn't sure if this was a sweeping generalisation, or a non-statement - "I have found (some) people bigot(t)ed (there's a spell checker on here - pots and kettles!) and narrow-minded, although is is not always the case, and some people are not narrow-minded and bigoted."

In Australia, many 'nationalists' of whom I know are complete bigots whilst some 'nationalists' of whom I know are more open minded. I find exactly the same situation in Thailand.

When you said "this is all very egotistical" did you mean patriotism and putting your country first was egotistical, or that your personal opinion expressed in the post was egotistical? Neither struck me as such.

Ego is all about the 'self'. Many people ostentatiously announce their 'patriotism', usually to score 'browny points' from others e.g. Look everybody! I love my country! Please flood me with praises.

This type of egotism is for profit & does not benefit anybody but the profit seeker.

Anyway, perhaps a bit more respect for the feelings and beliefs of others, who very much identify with their countries, even though they cannot hold the country in their hand and say "This is Thialand or the USA or wherever", and a little bit of gratitude for the hospitality that those peple show in welcoming you into their society might not go amiss.

I most certainly have gratitude for those who welcome me to Thailand. I also have respect for 'nationalists', even though that I think that these folks are lacking in many ways. I have no idea why you think that my post was 'disrespectful'.

Getting back to the original question, I think perhaps there was a mis-understanding through the overuse of the word 'love' as a synonym for 'like'. "What do you like about Thailand" would seem an entirely reasonable question, even if in general you did not like the country; almost all of us could find something that we liked about this country, with a little effort

SC

I don't love any country. I may or may not love it's people. So, when someone (Thai) asks me, "Do you love Thailand?", my reply is, "Do you love me?" The conversation continues from there although most Thais seem to not understand the significance. Even if they did confuse the word 'like' with the word 'love', their response is weird. It's as if they expected me to instantly love/like Thailand for no apparent reason.

Edited March 26, 2010 by elkangorito

[samuibeachcomber]

no one needs to love thailand but it helps if you like it.

[neverdie]

My ex-wife had huge boobs.

They are wasted on some guys.

I don't think PB actually tried them on.......then again, maybe he did?

[easethesqueeze]

not just talking about thailand here but if i said what i was really thinking most of the time i think i'd be in prison or dead!

[easethesqueeze]

"Do you love Thailand" is not a question. It is a rhetoric phrase like "pai nay? - where do you go?", where no one expects a detailed description on a map or the West's "how are you", where no one expects a life's suffering story.

agreed, the poor guy probably doesn't care if you love it here or not, just wanted to be polite and make a bit of small talk. Maybe he thought you were a bit rude then forgot about it and got on with his day

[Ulysses G.]

My ex-wife had huge boobs.

They are wasted on some guys.

I don't think PB actually tried them on.......then again, maybe he did?

I don't know. The word on the street is that he has something like 20 kids!

[elkangorito]

not just talking about thailand here but if i said what i was really thinking most of the time i think i'd be in prison or dead!

Why do you think Thias smile so much? (obviously to avoid confrontation, avoid answers & possible confrontational questions).

Q: Why do you think they want to know your opinion?

A: If they know someone who is not a 'lover of Thailand', it will help them to feel better about their own unloving thoughts.

[PeaceBlondie]

My ex-wife had huge boobs.

They are wasted on some guys.

I don't think PB actually tried them on.......then again, maybe he did?

Tried them on?