SHARING OUR THOUGHTS ON INTERDEPENDENCE
A Universal Truth - A Collective Voice of Tai people
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Today, I would just like to share with you a bit more on the idea of INTERDEPENDENCE.
I think we should learn more the theory of interdependence and then apply it to our daily practice.
For now, I just want to share with you some simple words. Interdependence means depending on each other; helping each other, it also means to give and to get. These meanings are actually very simple and even children know them. But, the importance is how we put them into practice, and know what are the other necessities for the maintenance of our interdependence.
The idea of interdependence applies to both between individuals and between groups.
In practice, one has to learn from another and keep up-to-date information of one another, so that both sides will know how they could help each other in what way, and both sides know what they could give, what they could get and what they could do for the benefit of both sides.
In a planning of strategies toward their common enemy too, both sides have to be interdependent. This is also a simple theory but we still need to learn how to put it into practice, especially in the time of crisis.
Another important thing we should learn is the possible cause of damaging the practice of interdependence, such as mistakes, misunderstandings, impatience, and so on.
And the way for maintaining the practice of interdependence would be regular meetings, regular discussions, open minds, understanding, compromising, patience, forgiving, and so on.
Well, regarding the idea of interdependence, I think there are a lot we should learn and then put into practice. Well, in fact, many people know this and practise it, but this is what we call sharing, airing, and hope it's useful in some ways for the cause of our
freedom movement.
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If we really understand ourselves, all our faults as well as our talents, it will be easier to understand others and we will be more patient and forgiving. The first thing is to know and admit that none of us are free from faults, and it is a brave and honest person who can admit to his mistakes.
When we feel the need to blame others, it is because we ourselves are frustrated and angry about situations that seem beyond our control.
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The meaning of interdependence here is great. It will be the greater or greatest when this can be applied properly at any time and any place because this is universal truth. We can even make more friends who have mutual understanding, open-mindedness, regular discussion with respect for others when deciding important matters concerning others and not only concerning one. Without discussions of this kind and appointing oneself as boss (as in some cases) will only create more problems! We have to be aware of this attitude that can be found anywhere and either reduce it or remove it for the sake of considerable progress in near future. It will depend on us all to choose a brighter future!
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I have learned a lot from you and about the meaning of the word
interdependence. It is so great. I don't know about others, but as
for myself, I have changed some of my attitude from a negative to positive view.
Before asking and talking to others, I have to apply this interdependence and put it into my heart.
Unity starts from those who speak about the unity, for the unity. Let's show our unity, fight and get our freedom now!
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Unity comes from the heart, and I believe that deep inside our hearts we have deep love to care and understanding each other. We need to nurture and encourage this true connection, our connection with each other, as Tai brothers and sisters. We cannot force unity, we need to feel genuine concern for each other first, feel happy when the others are doing well, and feel sad when the others are suffering. We are really all equal, no one is better than the other, no one is superior, and no one is inferior, a more educated person is not more important than someone who is not as educated. A person who is from a royal family is not better than someone from an ordinary family. The most admirable person is someone who can get on with everyone, and have respect for everyone.
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Many thanks for your extensions of positive attitudes and sharing good feeling toward another. I believe this kind of attitude is in fact a solid path that we all can walk together; a good sign for Tai to be a strong nation.
With positive attitude, I believe we can discuss, debate or argue on different issues that we may have, different opinions, different plans or different tactics, and there will not be a problem among us;
And with positive attitude, we will not have ill-feeling toward one another. We discuss about the business and we do not mind who will win or lose in the debate.
This is an example of how our relationship or interdependence can still be strong and stable, even when we have different opinions.
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After being away for sometime it is good to read all of your inputs here, Yes, the unity, the real unity must come from our hearts, it will not be strong unity if it is just a forced unity or you (we) just have to force yourself for unity then the unity can be just at the meeting and after meeting all gone with time, it will be just like a unity with glue attachment which even doesn't last for water. We have to realize deep in our hearts that only Unity can bring us to where our dream is, there is no other way.
I think to come to unity and interdependence, we all should realize that RESPECT CAN BE GAINED BY ONLY RESPECT, NOT BECAUSE I KNOW MORE THAN THEM ( SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO CLAIM THAT THEY KNOW BETTER THAN OTHERS) OR BECAUSE I AM DOING (WORKING) FOR THEM (TAI). This does not work to gain for cooperation and interdependence. As the current never run up but down and as nature as respect, it can be gained only by respect.
I strongly believe that if our leaders are really on the line of unity there will not be only strength that we will gain but I am sure there will be a lot of people who will come to join with their outmost abilities.
To speaking openly, it is not that people do not want to join but most of the people are just fed up with our leaders’ endless fighting because their priority is their idealism, and not national interest. If we will have our common goal, and national interest first, ideology second, followed by personality (leadership), it will not be hard for unity. When idealism is the priority there can never be UNITY and INTERDEPENDENCE. Only if we prioritise national interest then we can come to the table and bow our heads to one another.
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In our discussion, the theory of "interdependence" has really come to life, and this "interdependence" could be called the pioneer for "Stable Unity". Truly, unity comes from emotion with knowledge. The unity with only emotion without knowledge or only knowledge without emotion will not long last. The interdependence will control the balance between the emotion and knowledge, and not be biased only about one side.
The interdependence will let us perform multi-class as a movie actor in our mind which we can never get in the real outside world and it will echo to our heart by understanding and borrowing the feeling of others’ different lives. So that movie, music and songs that borrow their feelings to others will become one of the best selling goods in the world. Sometimes knowing ourselves is more difficult than knowing others but sometime we can solve this problem by reflection of other images.
This reflection of images, i think could be found in "interdependence".
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(1) FREEDOM comes from STRENGTH.
(2) STRENGTH comes from UNITY.
(3) UNITY comes from INTERDEPENDENCE.
(4) INTERDEPENDENCE COMES FROM US SHARING KNOWLEDGE, and PEACEFUL IDEAS.
Look at our situation now!
We are still busy with lower level (4) and still at the lower level to achieve our freedom.
That means, we still have long long way to go to achieve our freedom (level 1) from Interdependence through unity and strength.
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J has pointed out here that the idea of interdependence and its practical application can only be used by just minority in this discussion group. This is absolutely right. For this to be affective it needs to spread and seep into the heart of our people wherever and whenever it is. Better and close communication among our Tai leaders as well as their subordinates will give the best answer to this and also for the unity that all our hearts yearn for.
Why I say better communication to be the best answer? First and foremost, when our Tai leaders either politicians, ordinary people or army commanders, whenever necessary, can have close contact and communicate with one another with true open-mindedness, mutual understanding, honesty, real interest for the betterment of our people as a whole and talk things out wholeheartedly, this will be a very good sign already for the unity that almost every Tai talk about.
We talked and talked about unity but this cannot be materialized so far! Sai Moo has sung a song of unity and everyone, leaders and ordinary people alike, likes it, applauds it but who has really tried to implement it is now a very controversial issue. Please every leader (whether in political or non-political organizations) each with followers or subordinates of his own, remember that the unity among leaders mean the unity for all. The attitude of a leader is very crucial for and has very much impact on his followers.
The attitude of every leader which is positive is one that most of our people yearn for. Every one ordinary people know very well the impact of this to create a very beautiful society, even a very beautiful nation of our own. Every subordinate or follower will follow the good example set up by his/her leader and tread on the correct path to participate, cooperate and render his/her service together his/her peers at anywhere or at any organization without any difficulty and fear of the influence from others.
In fact, sharing, understanding and caring are most powerful tools when they can be properly used at any place either in family life like in the case between husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends and so on and either in any political organisation or charity organisation. This goes in a circle and means we all are interdependent. AS WE ALL ARE INTERDEPENDENT, PLEASE REMEMBER TOO THAT ONCE NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ARE TRIGGERED, IT WILL TURN WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID UPSIDE DOWN! WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL OF THIS FACT.
So I say that better communication is most important to feed in the idea of interdependence and the practical side of it among our people from the top downwards as well as from the bottom upwards. I will put it here to share with all what I wrote on the messageboard of SHAN about levels of communication needed for us to better understand how proper communication works.
One of the keys of conflict resolution
Sun Nov 6, 2005 8:04am
Proper and better communication is one of the keys of conflict resolution at any place. This will be useful for us too. To go for this further, there are four steps that we can take in any communication.
when it is normal and there is no problem at all, we can just do the daily routine like writing memo or just a report.
when the first one is not the one that can solve problems at all, then we have to use emails or letters to communicate for better understanding.
when the first two cannot solve, phone calls should be made for clearness.
when there is opportunity, the best and most effective communication is 'face to face' if you find the most difficult to handle problems.
So in the case of our freedom movement, we will need face to face communication and talk things out to make things clearer not to have any doubts or hindrances blocking our way to come together. The most important will be how far we can be loyal to our Tai people and to our cause in the move to our Freedom.
Then there is one more thing to be emphasized here. That is to know now how to communicate our positive ideas that can be worked out positively to the heart of our people - everyone if possible none excluded, without any kind of force involved but to help in the growth of the mind and the closeness of our hearts with the very understanding needed. MOTIVATION CAMPAIGN BY THE POWER OF THE PEN OF EACH AND EVERY ONE WHO KNOWS THIS IS NEEDED WILL BE THE BEST VENUE FOR THIS.
"INTERDEPENDENCE, UNITY, STRENGTH AND FREEDOM" thought out this way by J recently is excellent. Freedom really comes from the strength of unity of interdependence. When interdependence can be realized through proper communication applied rightly and positively, we all will be able to taste the sweetness of freedom and in the same way when we can have freedom in our possession, that means we already know how to value and also the taste of interdependence.
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INTERDEPENDENCE - UNITY - STRENGTH - FREEDOM
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