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A letter to Naung Saung (17 July 2005) Back to stories index

Dear Naung

Have you ever thought about meaning of your existence in the world? What you think should be what you are for? What is or are important to be a people - a useful people?

If people did not work hard for many years, today you would not have a mobile phone and a computer. If there were no effort made to create cars, you would still have to walk long distances. If you were born to hilltribe parents and got no chance to come to the towns, you would have to hike kilometers on the hills to attend the school everyday.

The things that give you comfort and lifestyle do not come easily. They are the fruits of many many years of hard and patient working of many generations in the past. You get them easily by paying some money at a shop.

Think about this - are you now a part of human effort to create a good thing for the world? When you wake up in the morning think what good thing you have done yesterday for the people? What good thing you are going to do today?

Are you lost in something? Are you desperately looking for girls or boys over the Internet? Do you use Internet to look for useful information or just want to have overseas friends for purpose? Or are you desparately making yourselves on par with today so-called trend in life style and friendship? How many hours a day do you spend thinking of that?

Do you know we are living in a world of great differences? There are huge differences in terms of technology, education and knowledge, thinking and attitude, life facilities, love or flow of love and respect, resources among places and people on our planet.

In some places some people own high technological tools and equipment such as computers, high speed Internet. But in other places other people still do not have a decent toilet and a bathroom.

In some places some people have very good food and life care products and facilities and knowledge to take care of themselves and their children. In other places people try whole day working hard to get just a plate of broken rice.

In some places people love their place and work hard to create and maintain healthy beautiful environment. In other places people think shallow, or are selfish, or do not want to work for the community and thus their places become victim of over commercialisation. There are garbage, ugly things and pollution everywhere.

People make mistakes and troubles time by time. But some people do record, take lessons, work hard to discover methods to solve problems, transfer knowledge to next generation selflessly, and work hard to re-create what are good for them. In some places people do not (want to) work hard to record and find ways to create a good world. The result is un-healthy environment and huge difference in rich and poor.

Some people understand that they must learn, experiment, work hard, think deeply and widely to have good knowledge, skill, and good attitude to be able to make useful and proper decisions in their life and for other people as well as for their place. They understand that life is not easy. They learn the basic knowledge about our world: geography, weather, environment, life, and survival. They also learn about people and places, communication, languages, different cultures; differences among places, people and times (months and seasons), and so on. Because they know that to survive (or win) in any situation they must be physically and mentally strong, they take care of themselves properly too. In addition they are not lazy and satisfied; they always develope new methods and things to make the world more colorful and enjoyable. If you are not doing good job you are likely to play the secondary, supporting or follower role. Otherwise you will just be sitting on the bench cheering the other people in progress.

People, including those in the highly developed places, tend to have bias. The flow of love and respect and trust around the world and among the people is not fair or multi-directional. There are lot of discrimination or prejudices. We generally love, respect or trust certain people of the world because they are beautiful, lovely, sexy, handsome, taller, or because we believed they have done and can do many things that we are unable to do, or we believe they are more intelligent and understanding, or richer. We tend to trust the services and products made by them over any other people. We tend to find those people for friendship, as our leaders, or for something.

On the other hand we tend to look down, distrust and dislike other people because of many reasons and things we learn from the medias. So the flow pattern of love around the world makes some people getting tons and tons of love, while other people getting no love and respect. This big difference among the people might be one of the main sources (breeding ground) of today so-called terrorism and violence. It creates lot of social and cultural problems. As a bonus it also creates damage to our environment.

Think as a home work how it happens and why?
And ask yourself who you are in this real life story from which we can not escape?

So what are important? To have mobile phones, computers, sex and romance, cosmetics? To be someone you must have one or more works which produce at least a little useful or good things for the people including you. When you see the good result of your work, however small it may be, you will automatically happy and enjoy your life, because you now know that you are not useless. Any useful thing is useful for the world. You do not need to design a car or computer. There are endless number of ways in which you can make your contribution to the world. It does not need to be technological either. Even preserving our heritage is a good thing to do.

Ofcourse sex and relationship are also necessary. They are necessary for reproduction, pleasure, as well as for elements of life. However since people are different from each other true love or friendship and understanding need time to generate. True love can make people compromise themselves to create a life both enjoy. In our time we did not usually purposely look for a girl friend. In most cases one of our female friends or acquaintances became girl friend or lover. Or we found our girl friends accidentally. In your time you go online and purposely look for girls and boys. OK that is fine as long as people are honest and there is no lie and deceit. But be warned that the truth may sometimes come too late. Try to look at everyone without discrimination and prejudice. That way you will be able to love people and enjoy living in the world which is dominated by people!

Yes you need money, so you have to work to earn too. People in desperate need of money (poor people) will not have choice but to do whatever comes to them. However you should try not to work for a business that produce bad things or social problems to your place and the world. To find out the effects of a business on the people and the world you need good knowledge and habit of deep and clear thinking.

It is mid-night already so I will stop here. If I do have more to talk I will come back. Take care and good night.

This is a letter from an old(er) friend to younger people (Naung Saung) in their teenage age or 20's in Thailand and other south-east asian countries.

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