Untangled

Yesterday an editor of Prachatai.com, an independent, pro-democracy, online news website, was held by the police with warrant. She was released on bail after 5 hours. Her personal computer was confiscated and hard drive copied for investigation.

The police said Prachatai.com violated one section of the recently enacted Computer Crime Act, by allowing lese majeste content on the public webboard. Such content is deemed as a problem to national security. The provision includes jail and fine term.

The police did not and could not produce the portion of webboard posting in question, and had not issue warning message a they normally would. It's understandable that there must be someone behind this.

I won't further give commentary on this specific issue due to the Law. Only thing I can say is that I am so sorry for Thai society and it's political system that has always clinged on and made use of public sentiment on untouchable subject. Lese Majeste law has always been abused by politicians and non-politicians, to destroy your opponent. Swift interrogation and severe punishment are deemed "appropriate" by the public because of historic makings and reverence to the Institute. However few of them really know what's actually going on and almost always choose to trust the plaintiff, seeing him/her/them as being altruistic.

When there's an incident such as this, I think of the word "draconian". I also think of certain political regime such as Nazicism where public sentiments are carefully tailored made and cleverly used by political institute. People are massively tricked so they ignore some underlying justice and principles for the sake of inventive norms like good "moral" or the praise of "national hero". They are made to be partially blinded and partially unconscious without their knowing. This still holds true to Thai society and it's crippled political system and cultural makings.

Thailand is still not a free and open society.

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I read all except one Haruki Murakami's books.

Murakami's novels and short stories have a particular effect on me: they made me feel lighter and better, especially if read when I was depressed. I don't know why, but the senses I got was the "flow", be it the flow of life that's unpretentious, or the life of protagonists who dutifully choose what to do and how to do things by themselves.

In his latest book, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Murakami talked about how running has profoundly affected writing and his life. After reading one third of the book, I was impressed and belated to find that the central theme of the first one third portion of this book is about how people do things best when they really want to do it by themselves. For many of us, schools and social norms forced us to walk on the "proper" ways for the whole life. So few did have luck and courage to manage to get over this predicament and start living on their own. I myself have known this and tried to get over it, fortunately succeed most of the time. I am lucky enough to be able to live on my own way, being able to choose what to do, what to eat, when to sleep, how to work, and so on.

This is a crucial representation of "freedom". In certain part of the world like where I am right now, many people misunderstood and view freedom negatively. When talking about freedom, they tend to think about irresponsible people and anarchy (not political anarchism), whereas it actually is a fundamental right of human being - that he must be able to pursue happiness on his own course, while of course doesn't do harm and infringe upon other people's right to do so.

Second point from Murakami, is that when you got that freedom, you need to use it wisely and carefully. When you grow past teenager, you need to have a plan for youself in order to live a meaningful life. You need to exercise your freedom, choose something to serve you - the owner of the freedom. Without an application of choices to life's coursing, freedom is meaningless, as does happiness and life.

Perhaps Murakami is the easiest philosopher to understand.

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