The Importance of Being Happy

After one month in Thailand I’ve had some time to grow somewhat acquainted with the Thai cultural mindset. One outstanding aspect is the importance that many Thai’s place on emotions. In my experience, most Thais will not openly tell you if they are disappointed. However, if something makes them happy you will definitely know about it.

This goes beyond social pleasantries. During sponsor visits to villages, Village chiefs would often make a point of saying how happy the visit made him. This seemed be more than just “thank you for coming” or “I’m glad you could make it”. Translations ran more along the lines of “He’s glad that you came because your visit makes him very happy”. Apparently, no further justification for the visit was necessary.

I saw the same thing when I taught English at Baan Huay Sala School. The head English teacher was very concerned that our lesions “make the children happy”. Whether or not they actually learned something seemed to be a secondary consideration.

Admittedly, the English teacher could have been assuming that the children would learn. After all, the term lesson implies that learning will occur. The teacher also taught those children in the past; in Thailand, seeing is believing. Many rural Thais won’t invest in a new enterprise until they see that it works for their friends. The village chiefs may have taken it for granted that a donor would want to see the village he was sponsoring. Maybe, the sponsor’s main reason for visiting didn’t require mentioning.  

 Perhaps I've just gotten used to the Slavic world, where complaining is the order of the day. The Thai way might not be bad at all when you think about it. After all, who doesn't want to be happy, right?