Remember Where We Stand In The Grand Scheme Of Things; Thai Opinion

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Remember where we stand in the grand scheme of things

By Tulsathit Taptim

When we meet again next week, you will have heard phases like "Nothing changes", "New beginning" or "Chaos ahead".

One of them, certainly, must be a fair reflection of what lies in front of us. This article, though, was meant to assess what exactly brought us here, as a nation collectively enslaved by politics and standing on the threshold of an election so divisive and acrimonious that it threatens friendships, family ties and other decades-old bonds.

I promise to be as scientific as I can, and that you will hear very little about Temasek, the 2006 coup or Preah Vihear Temple. I will only mention them when they fit my methodology. If this can give you an added perspective heading to the polling booth on Sunday, I will be a happy man. If you can't see the point, I will entirely understand (as even though I'm not even halfway through, I've already made up my mind to go into hiding for a while after I finish.)

Okay, who and what should we thank, or curse, for bringing us here?

That asteroid. I don't mean the dinosaur-killer. I'm referring to "The One" before it, the one that was so big and slammed our planet so hard that the earth was tilted on its axis by exactly 23 and a half degrees. The change in the angle resulted in a miracle, because the altered atmosphere allowed the smallest of living organisms to form and thrive.

Those oxygen-producing bacteria. Now you know where I'm coming from, but don't laugh. Without them, our very first ancestors- …. - would not have had a chance. When casting your ballot this Sunday, spare a thought for those "blue-green" tiny beings that must be credited with making the air breathable, thus kicking evolution into gear.

The earth's five mass extinction events. The diversified evolutions were disrupted again and again by global catastrophes that happened from hundreds of millions of years ago to the last one 65 million years ago. They include an asteroid strike that killed off the dinosaurs, including the T-Rex, a global poison released by bacteria not as nice as the blue-green one, constant massive climate shifts, as well as colossal lava explosions that either boiled much of the world or froze it solid.

Species dropped like flies but our ancestors scraped through, would you believe it? If T-Rex had been spared, they would have still been laying eggs in the area where Preah Vihear now stands, and, in the best-case scenario, the Greek philosophers or whoever fathered democracy would have instead been still hiding in caves.

The tax-collecting pharaohs in ancient Egypt. The dinosaurs' extinction allowed our timid, always-frightened ancestors to transform into a species that would gradually challenge for planetary supremacy. Demi-gods abounded and historic records show that it could be their kind in Egypt who gave birth to what has evolved into the current form of taxation. They and the 12th-century French whose dealings formed the basis of a modern-day stock market can't be totally blamed for our political problems, but when stock trades became intertwined with taxation, the rest, they say, is history.

Our ancient kings. They may have followed the demi-god pattern, but we'd rather be grateful that they did. Shout "Freedom" or "Democracy" from the top of your lungs, but without them the alternative reality could be to whisper those words in China or Burma instead of going to the polls this Sunday. Of course, we all can try to "outgrow" our history, but let's do it with an honest sense of gratitude, shall we?

The air we breath. Inhale deeply and feel thankful that it gives you the luxury of being able to assume that what happens on July 3 is a matter of life and death. Abundant oxygen generates so many things, and one of them is the free time to ponder not-so-essential things. Put yourself in a stuffy room for 10 minutes and it won't matter to you who wins or loses this election.

The list could go on and on, but I hope you get the idea. July 3 is important, but it's not only ideology that makes us who and what we are. Our planet is billions of years old, whereas our democracy only took shape 79 years ago. Dinosaurs roamed the earth for over 160 million years longer than us. Whether it's "Nothing changes" or "Chaos ahead" after the election, please keep in mind where we are in the grand scheme of things.

-- The Nation 2011-06-29

[virtualtraveller]

Clever! We're all dinosaurs in this election. Except that dinosaurs were probably brighter than a lot of the voters, though they didn't get to vote for their leaders back in their time, they just ate anything lesser than them, perhaps we should regress to that position, it would be far more reliable.

[Britannia]

Clever! We're all dinosaurs in this election. Except that dinosaurs were probably brighter than a lot of the voters, though they didn't get to vote for their leaders back in their time, they just ate anything lesser than them, perhaps we should regress to that position, it would be far more reliable.

I understand what you are saying, They (the voters) are lesser than you, You are superior (perhaps a Demi God or more) They should be eaten up, but you should be doing the eating, Be aware of evolution, things change you may be eating your own words, now there is a thought

[kmj]

Clever! We're all dinosaurs in this election. Except that dinosaurs were probably brighter than a lot of the voters, though they didn't get to vote for their leaders back in their time, they just ate anything lesser than them, perhaps we should regress to that position, it would be far more reliable.

It must be so great to be you... I mean how do you stand living with these minions ?

[swifty5x5]

Dinosaurs to July 3rd election.

[anterian]

All he is saying is that from a Thai viewpoint, the events and resulting actions from July 3rd, will be momentous and important, but from the viewpoint of the human race they are minor and of little import.

The discovery of penicillin was probably a more major event

[khaowong1]

Very good Tulsathit Taptim, that kind of puts everything in perspective. I doubt many will understand this. Like the Buddha said, some people have only a little mud in their eye and some people are blind and will be for many more lifetimes. I am quoting very liberally of course.

[hellodolly]

All he is saying is that from a Thai viewpoint, the events and resulting actions from July 3rd, will be momentous and important, but from the viewpoint of the human race they are minor and of little import.

The discovery of penicillin was probably a more major event

Well said.

Some people just complain to hear them selves talk.

[Thaddeus]

The discovery of penicillin was probably a more major event

And the discovery of fire was far greater reaching than that, such a pity that the negative aspects of it's use have also been discovered.

[andyc2006]

All he is saying is that from a Thai viewpoint, the events and resulting actions from July 3rd, will be momentous and important, but from the viewpoint of the human race they are minor and of little import.

The discovery of penicillin was probably a more major event

In the real grand scheme of things, humanity's perspective is no less narrow than that of the Thais.

Penicillin won't do us any more good than a decent Thai leader, once the Milky Way collides with and is consumed by Andromeda.

Only another 4 billion years or so to go -- good ol' Earth is now 1/2-way between birth and death.

[whybother]

All he is saying is that from a Thai viewpoint, the events and resulting actions from July 3rd, will be momentous and important, but from the viewpoint of the human race they are minor and of little import.

The discovery of penicillin was probably a more major event

In the real grand scheme of things, humanity's perspective is no less narrow than that of the Thais.

Penicillin won't do us any more good than a decent Thai leader, once the Milky Way collides with and is consumed by Andromeda.

Only another 4 billion years or so to go -- good ol' Earth is now 1/2-way between birth and death.

But the earth is only 6 thousand years old.

[FOODLOVER]

Clever! We're all dinosaurs in this election. Except that dinosaurs were probably brighter than a lot of the voters, though they didn't get to vote for their leaders back in their time, they just ate anything lesser than them, perhaps we should regress to that position, it would be far more reliable.

I see we have a vote for lizard.

[cup-O-coffee]

I think this author will find after he / she goes into hiding that no one will miss him / her. What an absolutely meaningless article. Even the point of it all was implied and still unclear. We are green thingies? We are dinosaurs? We are demi-gods? What the...? Too much space spent on blah blah blah before getting to a point that is never really made clear.

Don't bother hiding. Walk around; go shopping, and don't worry. This isn't going to be reading material on the Censure's breakfast table.