After my time in Thailand, it feels like home.
Like anyone who feels positive towards where they are, they want to see the place flourish and thrive. I've started to love the country more for what is good, and be saddened by the problems that it has.
Thailand is a middle income country, not a "developing country" (see no more western and developing countries). What this means is that that poverty is becoming less of a concern. Many Thais are starting to be able to buy cars, and even take holidays in places like Korea. They have functioning roads, hospitals, banks and some good universities.
But the country still has a lot to improve.
For one, the country tends to look poorer than it is. If you go to Bangkok or Chiang Mai, the sidewalks are in bad condition, if they are there at all. There is often garbage everywhere. And there are people living in slums (more in Bangkok than up here).
Part of the reason is a lack of community spirit. Most people here tend to think of the problems of themselves, friends and family. Anyone else is considered not their problem. Those that have money will move to a "mu baan" (gated community) and think little of making their city beautiful, clean, or safe.
I think this needs to change. The majority of Thais are generous by nature, but this generosity is not always planned, and usually goes to family and community seniors (such as monks) instead of the common man.
But this I believe will change in time. In fact I'm much more concerned with the Thai attitude to education. And with the ASEAN community in 2015, this will only become more important.
In general, not many Thais tend to value learning as much as other nations in the region. Education is seen as a way of gaining status. Getting the degree is more important than what you learn during your time studying. And there is very little serious commitment to lifelong learning.
I'm not saying that there are not very intelligent Thais working in the country. There are extremely intelligent people here. But often they are marginalized, and unless they come from upper class families, those that would become very well educated are discouraged by society from doing so.
This has lead to the unfortunate stereotype that Thai people are stupid. For the love of this country, it is a stereotype I hope one day will be broken.
Many of Thailand's neighbors such as Cambodia and Vietnam are starting to take education much more seriously. This is not just the government, but the people as well. If Thai people don't change this attitude with the lowering of economic barriers in 2015, the country may lose its high value well paying jobs and revert to low value manufacturing and agriculture.
It's not just education. Thailand has a reputation for some good quality specialized products (such as car components) in south east Asia, but in general there isn't the same attention to detail here that is displayed in countries like Japan and Korea. This combined with a lack of planning for the future makes Thailand reactive, rather than proactive.
The country has the base to be a key country in the region and an important country in the world. But if it wants to grow, it needs to do some things, like:
Celebrate intellectual heroes. Running contests, televised debates, and giving awards for significant academic achievements can give people the social reinforcement they need to educate themselves, if that is their interest.
Develop community spirit. By creating a pride in the quality of ones neighborhood and community, the Thai spirit of generosity could become a very powerful force in tackling many of the social problems in the country.
Become more future focused. While many residents are focused on having fun now, the problem is that many big problems get left until too late. By encouraging people to think a little more into the future they will start to fix problems before they get too big.
Read!. Find ways to get Thai people to enjoy reading more. It doesn't matter what, it can be whatever they are interested in. But more reading leads to more information in the heads of Thai citizens, and to more authors producing original and creative works in the language.
There is a cost to economic development, but in Thailand's current position, I believe many social problems can be positively impacted by economic development. By raising income levels, the incentive to traffic drugs and people decrease. Less expats who come here from the wrong reasons will be able to afford it, improving the quality of the foreigner population here. And more money available can help the government improve its welfare policies like health care and the old age pension, which is currently not sufficient. And, as the other countries around it are growing, Thailand will actually devolve if it remains stagnant.
The Thai culture has some great things to show the world, and I would like to see the people get richer and the country prosper economically, so that internationally people start taking Thailand more seriously.
