Things that make you go hmmm...

This time you can sing the normal song while reading or you can sing "One Night in Bangkok"- whichever you prefer.

We met an old veteran Brit (who now lives in Thailand) at the weekend market. He sat next to us, wearing a shirt that read "if you ever feel like life is getting you down and nothing's going right smoke a spliff and you'll feel better it's f'ing magic."

He was pretty cool and while he told us about a time in Heathrow airport when he was arrested for saying that George Bush and Tony Blair should be shot like Ghadaffi was, he mentioned that, "you Americans talk about freedom and being free, but here in Thailand is true freedom. You can do whatever you want and no one bothers you."

I thought, you know you're right I can buy a tiger, slap a baby, steal some ones chain off their neck and have sex with a prostitute all in one day.

But then I thought about what is the true nature of freedom? Is it being able to make a majestic species extinct, cause psychological trauma to a child, take some ones hard earned possessions and contribute to the perpetuation of human suffering?

Where then is the freedom of mother Earth from being wasted and future generations to enjoy the wonders of evolution? Where is the freedom for that child to be happy and psychologically healthy? Where is the freedom for women from poverty stricken tribes to escape a life of slavery? From a smaller perspective where is my freedom from inconsiderate assholes who make judgements about me as an American?

Is true freedom the ability to stomp on other people's? Or is true freedom accepting that there is a general right and wrong and being able to have the knowledge that our actions can promote or destroy other peoples freedoms directly or indirectly? Can raw freedom as it were ever be trusted in the hands of the common man?

I had my legs crossed on the bus yesterday and was told to put my leg down because the sole of my shoe was pointed at the bus driver, essentially flipping him off (in Thai culture the bottom of the feet are considered unclean). Then at the rest stop was told I couldn't use the bathroom. All societies have their intolerances and cultural rules. Is there quote "true freedom" anywhere? Should there be? My choice to not punch the bus driver took away my freedom to be a jerk. So do I want to take part in true freedom? I guess not. Following hedonistic primal urges of sex violence and drug use is the freedom of one and the decimation of freedom for many. Is freedom control? I can do this all day. I hope I didn't bore anyone, but it's just one of those things that makes you go hmmm.

Hope you all are loving free as can be.

Bradley