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OVERDRIVE

We are using up our reserves of good fortune

THE other day I spent more than Bt3,000 on books at a bookstore in the Central Department Store, Bang Na. One of the titles I picked up was a collection of His Majesty the King's speeches, delivered to delegations of people from several walks of life who had been granted audiences with His Majesty and gave him blessings on the occasion of his birthdays, at the Dusidalai Hall, Chitralada Villa, Dusit Palace. I browsed through the book and found one of the royal speeches very interesting and touching.



The King delivered this speech on December 4, 1975, nearly 34 years ago. You might find that this excerpt from his speech on that particular occasion is still very relevant in today's political climate of turmoil and confrontation. Pay heed:

"Why is it that Thailand still stands? It is because we all have built up virtue, that we have acted with good faith and good intentions. There may be some involuntary mistakes, but the intention is good. It is like vaccination against diseases. We must vaccinate beforehand if we want to achieve immunity. Doctors will understand that in vaccinating, we must inject an appropriate dose of vaccine to be able to achieve complete immunity. To achieve immunity against the dangers the country faces, we must continually sustain our good deeds; this will perhaps be tedious. But even so, don't be discouraged yet. Sometimes a lifelong effort is not good enough.

"But why is it that Thailand still stands firm? It is because our ancestors have accumulated good deeds for many long years, hundreds of years. They have persevered in their efforts with integrity. As we have learned from history, Thai warriors fought for the security of our nation. Thai rulers laid firm foundations for the country, and preserved its independence with a tenacity that enables us to enjoy the benefits of an invaluable inheritance.

"This inheritance, more correctly called baramee (reserves or reserved power), has been built up since ancient times and accumulated by stages; all good deeds amassed are the guarantee of the stability of the Thai Nation, but if we do not follow up, this guarantee will be used up. Just now, I have mentioned that baramee is doing good deeds. It is comparable to banking. There must surely be some bankers in this assembly.

"If we accumulate enough money, we will be able to use the interest without touching the capital. If we use too much money or if we are not careful in our spending, if we eat into the capital, that capital will eventually dwindle till there is no more capital left. In the end, we will be ... what is the word - if we use more than we have in the account - the bank might let us overdraw for some time, but if we overdo it, the banker will have us declared bankrupt. In the same way, we should not overdraw from the baramee account that our ancestors have amassed since ancient times. We must do our part in accumulating baramee to guarantee the nation's safe future.

"Thus we will be able to assure the future of Thailand for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We will probably not live to see those days, but out feeling will be one of happiness, if we can visualise our ancestors' baramee amassed since time immemorial, building up our nation. We have inherited the country from them, and even at this time of crisis, we do not have to be afraid; we do not have to be afraid because we still have reserves. But these reserves will be quickly used up if we are not careful with them.

"Economists, businessmen and bankers all know too well that individuals who have money in the hundreds of millions, but mismanage their business, can become bankrupt in only a few years. Thailand has built up baramee for hundreds of years. If we are not careful we can also become bankrupt in a matter of only a few years. But this kind of bankruptcy means that we will have no place to live, and we will never be able to return to our home country. Everyone wants happiness; we, therefore, must work to earn that happiness; that is, we must accumulate virtue; we must accumulate baramee.

"Some of you here are Buddhists, some Muslims, some Christians, some Hindus, practising different religions. Those who do not have a distinct religion can refer to textbooks on political doctrines, political science, psychology, or to any textbook that you fancy, and you will find the answer. You will understand what to do and how to do it. We already have a country and we have to protect it, not destroy it. Whoever wants to destroy our country, try it; we'll fight.

"Whoever wants to destroy our country, must beware; whatever their intention for destroying the country is, they will only succeed in destroying themselves. They are to be pitied because they are actually destroying themselves. If we study history, if we study the past, these people are only destroying themselves. It is pitiful."

I do not need to add anything further. Our King said it all 34 years ago.



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