One Photo Every Day: Selling jackfruits on a rainy day (54/365): แม่ค้าขายขนุนในวันที่ฝนตก, The OPED project.
People in Bangkok have been complaining about the crazy weather this whole week. They are expecting cooler weather and the end of the rainy season after the Loy Kratongs festival. Then, they are surprised by the grey and dull days following by rain during the last two days. Lots of people seem to have come down with a cold and fever. This Saturday morning, things seem lethargic and there is not the usual crowd at the supermarket. The tuk-tuk drivers are not too busy and those selling lotteries cannot find many enthusiastic customers.
The lady selling jackfruits has been preparing lots of peeled fruits to sell to customers. She is not very happy with me taking her picture without buying anything. Had she smiled and welcomed me, I would have bought a big bag to give to those security guards at the office. Making a living and trying to survive with the minimum level of comfort has become quite a struggle for most people. I could see the signs of worries and burdens on people’s faces when traveling in public transport. The effect of this feeling of suffering in isolation without expressions of sympathy from fellow human-beings has made some becoming quite hardened as a shield for their vulnerability and insecurity. So, people have become more defensive and aggressive; they are not as forgiving or compassionate as in the past. I do wonder what kind of a society we are creating for future generations.
สัปดาห์นี้มีแต่คนบ่นเรื่องอากาศปั่นป่วนไม่ปกติ และหลายคนก็เป็นหวัด อากาศที่ทึมเทาและแถมมีฝนตกสองวันนี้ยิ่งทำให้คนงงงวย วางแผนชีวิตประจำวันกันไม่ถูก พอฝนตกคนก็ยกเลิกนัดที่จะออกไปนอกบ้านเพราะรถติดแน่นอน วันนี้ท้องฟ้าไม่มีแดดเลยทำให้ดูเงียบเหงาผิดไปจากวันหยุดสุดสัปดาห์ทั่วไป คนขับรถตุ๊กตุ๊กก็ไม่มีลูกค้า คนขายล็อตเตอร์รี่ก็ไม่มีคนมามุงดูเลย
แม่ค้าขายขนุนเตรียมแกะขนุนไว้ขายเต็มที่ เขาไม่ค่อยยิ้มแย้มแจ่มใส ทำให้ลูกค้าหนีหมด ถ้าเขาเป็นมิตรมากกว่านี้ก็คงช่วยซื้อถุงใหญ่เพื่อเอาไปแจกคนรักษาความปลอดภัยที่ทำงาน เวลาเดินทางโดยขนส่งสาธารณะจะเห็นคนโดยมากหน้าตาเครียดและมีแต่ความกังวล การดำรงชีวิตในปัจจุบันเป็นไปด้วยความยากลำบาก ต่างคนต่างดิ้นรนเพื่อ ความอยู่รอด เหมือนต่างคนต่างอยู่อย่างแปลกแยกและไร้ความเห็นอกเห็นใจให้ซึ่งกันและกัน ทำให้คนกรุงกลายเป็นคนใจด้านขึ้น และมักจะมีความก้าวร้าวมากกว่าแต่ก่อน ความใจดีและการให้อภัยเริ่มหายากขึ้น ทำให้อดคิดไม่ได้ว่าคนเรากำลังสร้างสังคมแบบใดที่จะส่งต่อให้กับคนรุ่นหลัง
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Cheers.
The OPED project (รูปหนึ่งภาพสำหรับแต่ละวัน) เป็นโครงการที่เริ่มโดย @gamer00. ทุกคนที่สนใจสามารถเข้าร่วมถ่ายภาพสำหรับแต่ละวันเพี่อดูว่าจะทำได้ครบ 365วันหรือไม่ เป็นการท้าทายตนเองว่าจะสำเร็จเพียงใด
Public OPED Project Announcement:
One Photo Every day is not just a challenge for just a series of posts on Steemit but it’s our way of providing valuable pictures every day to our amazing community in order to promote the storytelling through the lens of the cameras.
Feel free to join our discord server
We've created channels where people can find other like-minded photographers wanting to pursue a daily routine, and create their own 365 project. If you fall into motivational or inspirational problems, there 'll be a channel where you may seek help. There's also a channel for sharing tips and advice in photography.
It's a fine balance to protect yourself from the despair, without closing your feelings off altogether. I struggle with it. The only time I feel truly free is when I am playing with my animals, and I think that is a good break to have.
Luckily, in Buddhism we are taught about the three principles of life. First, everything is impermanent, changes are natural.
Second, changes or states of impermanence cause sufferings (like and dislike, satisfaction and dissatisfaction).
Third, everything is "anutta" or an illusion ; this one is tricky to explain. Anutta can be equate to 'emptyness' or 'non-self', in other words, because all things are changing or dynamic, these gives rise to feeling of wanting to cling to what gives pleasure and to push away all those things that are unsatisfactory. But these things cannot be controlled or owned or commanded by human-beings. They will always change, and they will all pass away or transform into something else. What we are depends on the content our our memory in our brain, what we feel also depend on our previous experiences or conditioning.
The brain or our mind hold those concepts and ideas and memories which are things of the past, i..e last minute or yesterday. Reality is what we interpret from this content in our mind and memories. So, each person is the sum of all these contents. For example, if John loses all his memories, he is no longer the same person you used to know. John is no longer 'himself'. The center in oneself or the 'self' is an illusion. But we say who we are with all the contents inside our brain/mind. This content is always changing, so we are always changing from day to day. When the cycle of living ends, we go back to the earth, water, wind, fire elements of nature. There is no ''self", but we build this up by conditioning.
To really understand this, one has to do meditation and experience the 'emptiness', the 'space' in the mind where there is no feeling of 'self'. Only then would compassion flows from the 'source of cosmic energy' into that space and there is no division among people's centers (ego/self). There is only compassionate energy already existing in the universe.
This is getting to abstract. If you have time, you should read the text yourself; I am not very good at conveying the essence of Buddhist teaching.
Cheers.
I think you explain it very well. The teachings are very similar to what we have learnt in yoga. I especially like the principle of non-attachment, to people, goods, or outcomes. This philosophy helps me a lot. But I find I have to continually work at it. I definitely need to do some more reading and meditating. Thank you, my friend.