long live the king

It's a funny thing, sometimes, living in thailand. For one, they are always really smiley and happy, even if they are inwardly seething at your foreigner ignorance. You just slap a big smile on your face and say, "Thank you, but I'm only going to pay 200 local dollars for this", smile, smile, smile. Another thing that is interesting is that it's a monarchy. Being as it is that I am not a Brit, it's a situation that's new to me.

For example, everyone, EVERYWHERE has big signs and posters showing flattering pics of the king when he was like 30 years old (no matter that he is pushing 80 right now). Medians in the highway apparantly the perfect resting spot for that overused picture of the king standing next to his throne. They pop up everywhere else to, from restaurants to taxis to hotels. Everyone loves the king - even though he may not influence a ton of things in daily life, he sure has the hearts of all the people.

Every time we've gone to see a movie in thailand, they do this thing at the beginning that is a tribute to the king. It's actually a very beautiful video clip put together where a choir is singing the national anthem while various videos of the king interacting on behalf of the people are playing out in front of you. The weird thing (and sometimes puts me on the edge of uncomfortability) is that everyone in the theater must stand out of respect for the king. I guess they probably wouldn't force you to, but anyway...

So a few days ago, our teammates and josh and I had the chance to go see a movie, sans kiddos. :) The video started and the sound of theater chairs flapping up against their backs swept through the theater. The video had changed since I saw it last year, but at the very end there was a scene that caught my eye and stuck in my heart.

It was a scene from the olympics, maybe the 2004 ones where a Thai athlete had just won gold. He was running and jumping, almost hysterical with joy, and lifting high above his head a picture of the king. The camera shot zoomed in with crystal clarity to the picture of the king being elevated, and the packed out stadium - and the gold-medal athlete - faded into fuzziness.

The image struck me. Here was an athlete, at the top of his game, the pinnacle of everything a person could accomplish in his field. And when the camera zooms to him, it is not him that is glorified. The eyes of the camera, broadcast to millions of thai viewers, were not focused on that athlete or his great acheivement. The eyes of the camera were focused on the king that the athlete represented. The venue, the event, even the athlete himself faded into fuzziness while the picture of the king was lifted.

God, make our lives like that! Help us, in our proudest moments of great accomplishment, lift high the banner of our great King, so that you may increase and we may decrease.

Long live the King.