How Traveling to Thailand Can Help You Become a Better Person

What you can learn from understanding Thai culture

I will never forget the first time I saw a family living out of cardboard boxes under a bridge in central Bangkok.

The mother was cooking something on a makeshift stove. The children were playing barefoot together in the rubble and dust. I had seen homeless people in my hometown London and in Sydney but it was nothing compared to this.

What really struck me were the smiles on their faces…..shouldn’t they look miserable?

Some places are more than just holiday destinations.

They can expand your sense of empathy and understanding for others and challenge your perspectives about the world.

Thailand is well known for its idyllic resorts, party lifestyle, warm climate, exotic delicious spicy food, and ladyboys!

But the contrast between extreme poverty and wealth and the Thai people’s attitude to kindness and compassion can impact you on a deeper level.

It certainly impacted my perspective, and I’m no stranger to travel.

For anyone who can look beyond the glossy brochures, Thailand can open your mind to different perspectives and what it means to be kind, compassionate, and friendly.

And I think that can help you to become a better person.

Learning New Things — Temples Buddhism and The Art of Smiling

Whenever you travel to a new place you are stepping outside of your comfort zone.

The author at a Thai Buddhist Temple — DJ Hopkins

But Thailand is one of those countries that is so vastly different from Western countries it can be like holding up a mirror.

You get to see in the reflection your own culture as a comparison. It can be very revealing and a little confronting.

I mentioned earlier the Thai capacity to smile despite adverse living conditions.

Note: Let’s honest….I’m not saying that every poor person in Thailand walks around with a smile plastered permanently on their face…but many will smile at you without any reason to and the instance I cite at the start really did happen.

You will very rarely see a smile on the faces of the homeless in first-world countries. This is not a criticism of homeless people but an observation of the expectations within different cultures.

I believe this is a result of the practice of Buddhism in Thailand.

Thailand is full of Buddhist Monks and Temples.

They literally are everywhere all over the country. Temples are the spiritual center of the community and monks the bringers of peace and Buddhist wisdom.

I know we have churches in the west but Buddhist temples are a bit different. People can go and meditate there and stay there for days or months on meditation retreats.

They are like a refuge.

Even packs of stray dogs live there…. and they seem pretty chilled out too.

The Buddhist monks who live in the temples have no possessions and rely on eating food that is given to them every morning when they do alms.

Buddhist Monk & Chilled out dogs in Bangkok — Image by author DJ Hopkins

Their sustenance is solely down to the charity and goodness of the community.

Giving food to the monks is seen as a way of creating good karma. Monks, karma, and food are 3 cornerstones of life in Thailand. Food is practically a language, and karma is a moral compass.

The monks can be seen everywhere in Thailand engaging with local people and spreading what Thai Buddhists call “Loving Kindness”.

It’s what I like to call “Streetwise Spirituality”.

The chanting, meditation, and blessings of Buddhist monks are seen as good fortune for the people and country.

Buddhism is built on loving-kindness and compassion. These core tenets seem to unassumingly underpin Thai culture.

When travelers marvel at the passive good nature of most Thai it is this energy that is indirectly responsible.

Challenging assumptions — Resourcefulness in the face of adversity

Despite having the second largest economy in SE Asia Thailand has the fourth highest wealth inequality rate in the world at 90.2%.

But one of the most surprising things is that this doesn’t mean poorer Thai people don’t try to make a living.

They are not all sitting around collecting handouts from the state. Although that does happen, Thailand’s welfare state is not very good. People need to help themselves.

They are not helpless or hopeless.

There is an entrepreneurial spirit amongst ordinary Thai people that is quite remarkable and inspiring. You can see people running their own businesses on the street.

Cooking food, sewing, or simply selling knick-knacks.

Wherever there is a spare space on a street corner in Thailand you will see someone trying to eke out a living.

Woman Sewing on the street in Bangkok — Photo by author DJ Hopkins

Resourcefulness and ingenuity are abundant in Thailand and it presents such a contrast to western wastefulness and designed obsolescence. It is barely worth repairing things in the west, but there is a whole economy in Thailand based on it.

There is generally less expectation in Thailand. Less sense of entitlement for no reason. They get on with it and work with what they have.

I’m not saying that it is wrong to want more but in first world society’s we have begun to expect it almost as a right of birth without earning it. The values of being resourceful and working for what you have become eroded.

We can learn a lot from the resourcefulness and honest work of Thai people.

Compassion and Generosity

There is a saying among seasoned ex-pats that Thai people will give you the food from their plate if you are in need. It is true for a number of reasons.

It’s not that we don’t give in the west, but to be honest, many only give what we already have enough off. There are often strings attached.

True giving is when you are prepared to give without expectation of anything in return. Even when you have very little yourself.

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Those words by Goethe epitomize the Thai culture of generosity. I found this particularly heartwarming on my visits to Thailand.

In the west, charity is afforded to gain something. Quite often, in the form of commercial recognition.

In Thailand, it is simply to be kind.

Thai Buddhist Monk doing alms — Photo by DJ Hopkins

This kindness is often seen in the little things they do. For example; I was taken aback when my Thai brother in law would spoon rice onto my plate at dinner, even in a restaurant.

He would serve me first, his wife and sister (my wife). She later explained this is just their culture.

Another example is how Thai people will lower their head and hold their hand in wai (prayer) position if they need to walk in front of you to get past.

It is so gently done but a lovely gesture of respect. This gentle and respectful nature is very prevalent in Thailand.

This is what we can learn from Thailand

Travel can be of enormous value when you immerse yourself in a different culture. It can expand your knowledge and understanding of the world.

When you travel to Thailand, it can change the way you look at things like charity and compassion. Buddhist philosophy can help you appreciate what you have and not lament over what you don’t have.

You will see how people can still smile even though they have very little.

In fact, because they have so little, they have so little to lose. They do not succumb to the petty possessiveness and concern over security as we do in first-world countries.

There is a charming simplicity to life in Thailand.

The expectation is less because that is a core tenet of Buddhism. We don’t all have to convert to Buddhism but I believe this is something we can all learn from in the west.

Personal growth is often a result of self-reflection and analysis.

The mirror effect of experiencing different cultures can help you see your own reflection with more clarity. Even though it may be something you do not like.

This is the opportunity to change.

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