Journal entry by Al Negstad — a minute ago
Leaning back in the barber chair (see picture of the shop's sign) as a strange man in a far-off city used a straight razor to shave my throat prompted me to reflect on trust. The world really moves on trust that people are honest and will do what's proper. Of course there are exceptions but most of the time most people are trust worthy. For years as I have traveled SE Asia I've had few experiences of un-trustworthiness and many where persons have gone out of their way to help me.
Many times I've taken the mini-buses between Ayutthaya and Bangkok. The driver collects the fares but there is no ticket. Never have they tried to collect twice. There was one little scam a driver tried once. Traveling from Bangkok he stopped at the city limits of Ayutthaya and said "Ayutthaya" and motioned me to get out. When I politely but firmly told him "no thanks" in Thai, we drove on. Had I dismounted there was a tuk-tuk (pronounced tuuk-tuuk) waiting to take me the remainder of the way, for a fee of course. One other time I intervened when a driver tried that on unsuspecting, first time, visitors. Those incidents were several years ago and are exceptions to the rule.
This is not to say that one doesn't need to be alert. While trust makes the world go around wisdom dictates being cautious and alert. Have you ever stopped to consider how the world functions on trust? Who taught you to trust? Who taught you to fear? Fortunately my parents had a healthy balance of trust and caution. Someone once said we should "be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves." What does that quote mean to you?
Many times I've taken the mini-buses between Ayutthaya and Bangkok. The driver collects the fares but there is no ticket. Never have they tried to collect twice. There was one little scam a driver tried once. Traveling from Bangkok he stopped at the city limits of Ayutthaya and said "Ayutthaya" and motioned me to get out. When I politely but firmly told him "no thanks" in Thai, we drove on. Had I dismounted there was a tuk-tuk (pronounced tuuk-tuuk) waiting to take me the remainder of the way, for a fee of course. One other time I intervened when a driver tried that on unsuspecting, first time, visitors. Those incidents were several years ago and are exceptions to the rule.
This is not to say that one doesn't need to be alert. While trust makes the world go around wisdom dictates being cautious and alert. Have you ever stopped to consider how the world functions on trust? Who taught you to trust? Who taught you to fear? Fortunately my parents had a healthy balance of trust and caution. Someone once said we should "be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves." What does that quote mean to you?
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