Properly primed, we entered the main hall. There must've been a hundred people there, and they made sure to acknowledge all the newcomers, with great gusto pronouncing my foreign-sounding name and my residence of their choice, Honolulu. In rapid Thai, the MC led everyone to greet me in English, and I wish - how I wish - I had recorded that moment. When I sat back down, dazed with all the attention, I found another new friend sitting next to me, poised to be my interpreter for the main event.
It's impossible not to feel important. Which was especially fantastic, because the Assembly topic that week was Ego Management.
The question for group discussion was: "Do you think you have ego? How much?" Almost everyone are college-aged, and I expected a yes or no answer. If 19-year-old me were to answer this question, I would have said "Yes, I do. We all have ego, right? I mean it's normal".
"When I hear someone say something different to what I know, I would disagree."
"When I'm in a leadership position, I think of myself as more important than others."
"I just want to work in my own way, not to be told what to do."
"I don't want to be changed by my society. I just want to be myself."
"I don't want to follow anyone's suggestions."
"An egocentric is like us when we were children. We just want things for ourselves."
"I don't want to be criticized."
"I don't want to be warned by anyone."
"Having ego is a good thing. If you have it, that means you believe in yourself."
You see what I mean? These answers show a high degree of self-awareness, as well as a sophisticated understanding of Ego. The best part: this is Week 1 of a 30-week module on Ego Management. Considering their high starting point, by the end of this, anyone in this group could probably explain ego better than most adults I know.
Anyway, the organization is called Siam Araya and they consist of smaller groups working in different initiatives, but their main mission is to increase political engagement among Thai youth. It's a great example of proactive action combined with methodical learning. My sincere gratitude to the SA team for letting me sit in the assembly, and a special thanks to Bem for the invitation.