Thai Education

Phra Mick’s contribution/ corruption of Thai education:

He says:

Teaching English to kids in Thailand ain’t hard….
now they know how to say “23 years old princess!”

hehehe.
pm.

Gender convergence

I was reading an article today on male fashion. Seems like men are getting into the act and actually dressing properly, and with style. Gone were the days of slapping on a t-shirt and just trying to look decent (or clean). More are trying out new looks, being creative and…believe it or not, looking good.Here comes the paradox: the ‘real’ men of the 21st century are portrayed as those who are embracing the feminine. More importantly, this femininity is attracting women! From pastels, slim-fitters, checks and lightweight cotton, to creams and moisturisers, gone are the stereotypes of metrosexuals and homosexuals. The change is not just external – but internal. Many are embracing the feelings of the heart and wanting fairytale relationships.

And what of women? Many men find women in suits attractive. Are we becoming increasingly driven to pursue our professional careers and promiscuity?

Thankfully, this is all generalisation.

But it still makes me wonder: is this the equality that our predecessors had advocated for? Is this a convergence of the genders? Is it just marketing ploys? Or is this just us imitating each other, believing that the other gender’s got it better?

Dear Diary

Last week was an utterly crazy week for me. I was driving mum to work early in the morning and waiting at uni till nightfall to pick up my brother from work. Staying at uni for such long periods was quite draining, especially when faced with two essays to write! On top of that, my mind was filled with all these things i needed to do and keep track of when to do what. My diary has exploded!

But the things that got me thru were the sunny days, the good friends that kept me company (especially those long nights at uni!), my family’s support, buddhist wisdom, and the inspiration i get when i remind myself of why i am doing what i am doing. I found contentment within and not seeking comfort from the outside world.

When the going gets tough – and there has been many times like these – when i feel that i have had enough, i want to give up, i want to just be left alone, i want to lay down my responsibiities and dreams, when i just want to run away and hide – i find inspiration again.

I think of all the positive things in this world and the potential for all of us to do more, and with those good thoughts and intentions, the energy comes! Because in goodness do we find strength and purity. Not one full of ego, but selfless giving. And after long tiring days, at least i can fall asleep when my head drifts on my pillow, as i smile and think, it’s been a good day.

Sued by a tree

I was researching for my Environmental Law paper and came across a really interesting book called “Should Trees have Standing? and other essays on laws, morals and the environment” by Christopher Stone.

For those who aren’t law geeks like me, standing in lay terms means to have a legal right to initiate a lawsuit. In even more lay terms, standing allows you to sue someone. So giving trees standing, means tree can then sue people (and possible other trees?).

Of course that doesn’t make sense. But by legal ingenuity, the law is able to create ”legal fictions” by personifying non-human objects and giving them legal rights. When these rights are breached, then an interested person can come along and sue for them. For example, a corporation is a legal entity, with its own rights and duties, and therefore they can sue, and can be sued, by others.

So you can appreciate how interesting it would be if trees gain legal standing, and for a lawyer to stand up in court to “speak for the trees”. To demonstrate his incredulity, lawyer John Naff wrote this verse in the Journal of the American Bar Association (1972):

If Justice Douglas has his way –

O come not that dreadful day –

We’ll be sued by lakes and hills

Seeking a redress of ills.

Great mountain peaks of name prestigious

Will suddenly become litigious.

Our brooks will babble in the courts,

Seeking damages for torts.

How can I rest beneath a tree

If it may soon be suing me?

Or enjoy the playful porpoise

While it’s seeking habeas corpus?

Every beast within his paws

Will clutch an order to show cause.

The courts, besieged on every hand,

Will crown with suits by chunks of land.

Ah! But vengence will be sweet.

Since this must be a two-way street.

I’ll prompty sue my neighbour’s tree

For shedding all its leaves on me.

And that’s not all. After that, the Michigan County Appeals Court affirmed a dismissal of a 1983 suit by a tree owner to recover from a negligent driver for injuries to the tree. The following was actually part of the court’s decision (Fisher v Lowe, 1983):

     We thought that we would never see
     A suit to compensate a tree.

     A suit whose claim in tort is prest
     Upon a mangled tree’s behest;

     A tree whose battered trunk was prest
     Against a Chevy’s crumpled crest;

     A tree that faces each new day
     With bark and limb in disarray;

     A tree that may forever bear
     A lasting need for tender care.

     Flora lovers though we three,
     We must uphold the court’s decree.

Guess I don’t need to quit my day job to be a poet after all.

The Reflecting Wake

Introducing: Monk online!

Phra Mick has entered a new age of technological communications revolution. Not only has he got facebook, he’s got his own website! Check out his dhamma experiences here!

His latest entry:

The truth is between the lines…

in the gaps of thoughts…

in the laws of Universe…

and in the power of realisation.

Another day

Another day just passed by,

But now i sit and wonder why.

Things were done and plans were made,

But what effects truly stayed?

The way we live and exist,

Is to work hard to achieve our wish.

But once achieved, we do not stop,

To appreciate what we’ve got.

Immediately we grasp onto something other,

Making me wonder why do we bother?

Another day just passed by,

How many moments must be sacrificed,

Before we stop and see it all,

See that what we are searching for

Is already here, already achieved,

That we are fulfilled and have succeed.

That we already have so much to be grateful for;

No need to grasp for more and more.

If we can live every moment in the present,

Then happiness is ours, suffering is absent.

So next time when another day passes by,

You can live without wondering why.