Sunday, June 16, 2019

In the cloud, over Bangkok

It was about 6:30pm when the plane I got on was flying westwards over Bangkok at 35,000 feet high.  There I saw these layers of cloud.  Out of the blue, I recall the Thai epic movie Nang Nak - the movie about a ghost wife Nak.  Nak's husband was sent for service of the Siamese-Vietnamese war.  Nak conceived and gave birth to a baby.  The villagers claimed Nak's baby was illegitimate.  The words spread.  Sense went off.  Nak's house was burnt down by the villagers, and she with her baby were burnt to death.  Nak's strong will for waiting the return of her husband lingered in the place.  Nak's husband was at the verge of death during the war but finally returned home, and lived in the spiritual illusion with Nak.  The villagers warned Nak's husband and led him to see the real world.  Nak resented to the villagers and was about to exercise her supernatural power to retaliate.   A most respected monk got aware of this devastating confrontation.  He listed to the grief of Nak, and calmed her for letting go and releasing her spirit.  It was all ended and sealed in a brooch. 
This kind of story may be a bit old-fashioned but old wine in a new bottle - the thing about how words can instigate the others and result in such a tragic sadness.  These days people share news without really looking into the fact of itself.  Follow and like and be in part of it.  Quantity counts but not quality.  When words can become lethal, and when the senses were gone, and when the majority can be claimed as right.... When everything is distorted...  

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