Muay Thai Fighter - New Book!

happyknownothing · 1 day

Thanks LakeRat, I wish I'd known all this in my thirties. Most of our limitation in life are things we put on ourselves.

happyknownothing · 1 day

In this book we get to see what happens when a middle-aged ex-drunk decides to learn the toughest fighting art in the world.

happyknownothing · 3 days

This is probably the best explanation of OBE/Astral projection that I've found. I'm new to this topic, and this is the first thing I've read that made any real sense.

happyknownothing · 5 days

That makes sense - thanks

happyknownothing · 5 days

Thanks, I had sort of hoped that it was a case of holding onto the money for a couple of years and then just returning it :)

happyknownothing · 6 days

I think the only way to decide if an OBE is a lucid dream is to experience both.

bebobli · 19 days

I am unwilling to offer an explanation for an event I did not witness - my point from the beginning has been to question your explanation which sounds fishy to say the least. Maybe I'm not 'skeptical' enough, but I think there are already enough wild speculations on what these people were up to. If my unwillingness to pass judgments without facts means that I'm wearing blinders then so be it.

bebobli · 19 days

I’m happy to end this discussion with you as it could hardly be described as satisfying. I’ve found that most people I meet are basically lovable and fair minded once I get beyond their personal biases and opinions. It is a shame that you have appointed yourself as the debunker/pseudoskeptic ‘on the ground’ here in Thailand. Your distaste for aspects of the local culture means that you are willing to post exaggerated and misleading remarks online – unfortunately there are too many people in the world who will just accept your observations as facts.

You are unable to defend your claim “People travel large distances to receive blessings from supposed footprints rather than spend that money on medicine” because it is a ridiculous and dishonest claim.

I think it is a shame that you spend your time in Thailand looking down on people and their beliefs – there are far better ways of interacting with a culture. I’m sure that you fully believe that the ends justify the means and that those aspects of the culture you disapprove of are fair game. I’m sure the skeptical community has found a real champion in you.

bebobli · 20 days

So I’m putting words in your mouth? Where did I claim that “no reason anyone would ever go wanting for care”? My claim is far less bold, “no Thai needs to pay for any medical treatment or medications”. This was written in response to your assertion that;

“People travel large distances to receive blessings from supposed footprints rather than spend that money on medicine.”

Your exact words were “she emphasized the old and the terminal” so please don’t accuse me of putting words in your mouth by changing ‘elderly and terminal’ to ‘ elderly or terminal’ – I am going by your words. You’re right though, there is an important difference between the two. If true it means that you and your student can assess and diagnose treatments for both these groups of people – now that is impressive. The fact that you can establish that both sets of people are wasting money on trips to temples that they could be spending on medications is truly marvelous. You shouldn’t be in English camp – you should be training medical students in these important skills.

I’ll use the principle of charity here to dismiss your claim that these people should spend their money on Aspirin – you’re obviously just joking. Aspirin acts as a blood thinner that should only be prescribed on a case by case basis – if it is taken regularly by the wrong person it could put their life in jeopardy. This drug is also readily available in Thailand and free under the 30 baht scheme.

My questions remain unanswered. What medication should the terminally ill and old Thai people be spending their money on? How do you know that they need these medications?

bebobli · 20 days

I feel like I'm going around in circles here, but I'll try again. You claim:

“People travel large distances to receive blessings from supposed footprints rather than spend that money on medicine.”

Ok so now you are saying that it is 'not the norm' - fair enough, but it is a pity you didn't say this with the original quote. You also clarified that it was old people who are terminally ill. What I'm wondering is what medicines should these people be spending their money on? You are alleging that not only are these people being let down by the Thai health care system, but they their religion means that they are wasting money that they should be using for better treatments. Did you establish what these better medicines are? Your student sure knows a great deal about the medical diagnosis and treatment options of people she has seen at a temple. On what facts do you base the above statement?

bebobli · 20 days

Your claim that Thai people are choosing to visit temples rather than spending money on medications remains inaccurate as far as I’m concerned. The provision of free medical care in Thailand is well above what is available in many countries. I worked as a palliative care nurse, and the problem isn't as simple as you make out. Hospice care is not part of the culture and people prefer to die at home – the medication they need will be given to them but there is only so much that can be done for those who are actively dying. Those who are terminally ill would only rarely be offered chemo to treat symptoms not as a cure even in western countries - once people are terminal it is usual to stop all aggressive treatments. Your claims about Alzheimer’s medication does not make sense to me because Thailand produces their own version of these drugs.

I have personally benefited from the services offered by temples. I had a drink problem for two decades. I hit my first treatment center at 18 years of age and was in and out of them regularly after that. During my twenties I ended up homeless on the streets of London. I tried every available treatment open to me and none of them worked. Eventually I was cured of my addiction six years in a Thai temple by methods that you would most likely describe as ‘woo woo’. Here is my story http://www.shambhalasun.com/sunspace/?p=19152. I was given this treatment for free and many other westerners have benefited similarly – people who the medical profession in the west has washed their hands of.

I find it irritating when people come to Thailand and choose to misrepresent the culture and people. I think that is what you are doing here.

bebobli · 20 days

You do realize that there is universal free health care coverage in Thailand under the 30 baht scheme? This means that no Thai needs to pay for any medical treatment or medications - they don't even need to pay the 30 baht if they can't afford it! Your claim that Thai people are choosing to visit these places rather than spend money on medical treatment is simply not true.

bebobli · 20 days

So you are saying that a Thai person told you that they had travelled to Phetchaburi rather than spend money on medicine?

bebobli · 21 days

I'm a bit lost here. Perhaps you could clarify. In what way are you claiming that these legends influence Thai people's behavior? How do you know this? Are you claiming a stronger influence than the myths surrounding Halloween which influence many western people? You must do because you claimed when speaking with another poster, “ I assure you there are many millions of Buddhists in this world who behave and allocate resources as though these allegories were true.”

Do you have any evidence to back up this claim you made “People travel large distances to receive blessings from supposed footprints rather than spend that money on medicine.” How did you get this information?

bebobli · 22 days

The reasons why people wish to build these monuments is complex – it is not as simple as you say. These myths are part of a shared narrative – it is part of their culture. This is why the Thais will spend a fortune on the Loy Kratong festival which pays respect to a water god (this is a Hindu festival not a Buddhist festival). Thais do not worship a river god but they just like the festival. It is a beautiful time of year. Now a westerner could say why are these Thais wasting so much money (some of the floats cost millions of baht) to worship a river god, but this is to misunderstand what they are doing. I think if you spend some more time speaking with the Thais you will get a better understanding of this (I don’t mean to offend you by saying this). .

howardcord · 22 days

It is this that gives skeptics such a bad name :)

howardcord · 22 days

You do realize that this is a comedy sketch don't you?

pokeyjones · 24 days

One thing that has been a great help to me has been meditation. When these uncomfortable emotions occur I focus on my body to see where the emotion is physically manifesting. When I'm angry there is usually a knot somewhere in my body – most usually in my stomach. By concentrating on this knot (in a non-judgmental way) it loosens and my anger dissipates. I don’t want to get too much into theory of why this works but I only know that it does.

Please don’t be offended by this suggestion. I’m not saying that you don’t have legitimate reasons for your anger in real life. This is just something that has been a great help to me when dealing with uncomfortable emotions like this.

vicereversa · 24 days

The important thing is that you seem to understand that there is no enjoyment left in alcohol for you. I found that so long as I clung onto the tiniest hope that I might be able to enjoy drinking again it prevented me from achieving lasting sobriety. You should like you've had enough and that is encouraging. You feel that you need support in your recovery and you have sought out that support – that is also highly encouraging.

bebobli · 25 days

I don't think that your six month trip to Thailand puts you in a good position to judge the religion and culture. I'm assuming that you speak Thai fluently enough to question people about their beliefs and to ask them why they do things? I've lived here for 12 years (a good chunk of that time in rural Thailand with no English speakers) and wouldn't feel confident enough to paint such broad strokes. I wouldn’t classify myself as a Buddhist but I do go on meditation retreats, and I do engage with the monks regularly. Do you think you might be a bit hasty in your condemnation of Thai religious beliefs? Do you not believe that people should be allowed to do what they want with their money?

happyknownothing

TROPHY CASE

you'll need to login or register to do that

create a new account

login