I had the privilege of teaching in Thailand last week. Unfortunately with my schedule I didn't have a lot of time to site see. But a dear brother picked me up after class on Friday and took me out to see a few things. When I arrived the first thing I thought about was how chaotic things were. Cars everywhere. Motorcycles and scooters everywhere. Very few traffic lights. I watched the cyclists weaving in and out of traffic from the safety of my shuttle van each morning and evening. Insane.
So imagine my surprise when my dear brother picked me up...yes...on a scooter. Below is a sample of the controlled choas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js4G2lunSEI [Warning: If you get motion sickness easy, please do not watch this without a bucket]
All I could think of initially was that Deb will kill me if I get killed. But the life insurance was paid up and I'm saved, so...let's go.
There is a difference between being in the midst of something and being in something. When I was in the safety of a van I was sheltered from the reality of the chaos. But on a scooter the reality becomes apparent very quickly. I was hoping to survive the ride without breaking my kneecaps on someone's bumper or losing my shoulders to any of a hundred rear-view mirrors that we blazed by.
Perhaps it was the adrenaline but it was the first time I felt really connected to something in a long time. I wasn't looking at the culture from inside the safety of a glass window or studying it in some book. I was doing real life with real people in their culture. I was part of something and not just an observer.
I'm sure that there is a spiritual lesson in this somewhere but I've yet to flesh it out. Perhaps its just this: live real life.
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