God, give me grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

In Thailand, there are things we can't change and we would be better off if we just accept them. And there are things, with a little bit of effort, we can change, at least at a personal level. But sometime the difficulty is to make the difference between the two.

In your opinion, what should we accept and what can we change ? And how ?

Edited October 23, 201213 yr by JurgenG

We might not be able to change the corruption that is endemic in the government, and we probanly need to accept that for now, but one thing we can do is refuse to pay bribes, we don't need to make a song and dance about it, if we break the law and are fined the accept a ticket and pay at the station, but if a ticket is given for an imagined offence, take it to the station and challenge it, I've done that without any problem, I didn't make a big fuss about it, just got my wife to talk to the senior officer about it and the fine was cancelled without money changing hands and no other problems.

Sent from my GT-I9003

I have tried to do/change simple things in my Thai family life, but failed miserably , EXCEPT, my mrs can now drive our motor safely ......................................

Taken from a great little book I have called 'A manual for Living' If you'd like to see more of this wonderful book by Epictetus over 2000 years ago PM me.

Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible.

Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, desires, and the things that repel us. These areas are quite rightly our concern, because they are directly subject to our influence. We always have a choice about the contents and character of our inner lives.

Outside our control, however, are such things as what kind of body we have, whether we’re born into wealth or strike it rich, how we are regarded by others, and our status in society. We must remember that those things are externals and are therefore not our concern. Trying to control or to change what we can’t only results in torment.

Remember: the things within our power are naturally at our disposal, free from any restraint or hindrance; but those things our power are weak, dependent, or determined by whims and actions of others. Remember, too, that if you think that you have free rein over things that are naturally beyond your control or if you attempt to adopt the affairs of others as your own, your pursuits will be thwarted and you will become a frustrated, anxious, and fault-finding person.

Edited October 23, 201213 yr by Neeranam

The Thai karaoke version for anyone interested is:-

"kor sing sut sid hai kwam sangop gae ka".

"hai yom rap sing tee bplian mai dai"

"hai gla bplian sing tee bplian dai"

"lae panha tee ja yaek yae"

If anone wants the Thai script I can PM it but not allowed to post Thai script here.

There are two things to worry about:- Things you can do something about, and things you can't do something about.

If you can do something about it, then there is no reason to worry.

If you can't do something about it, then there is no point in worrying.

I have tried to do/change simple things in my Thai family life, but failed miserably , EXCEPT, my mrs can now drive our motor safely ......................................

I haven't even managed that.

"what should we accept and what can we change ? And how ?"

To have the tolerance to Accept people for who and what they are, and the best way to do that is often to change your own attitude.

Edited October 23, 201213 yr by CharlieH