Wearing my yellow tie, and saying a prayer

Wearing my yellow tie, and saying a prayer

Posted on May 6th, 2010 by Jeff McDonald

Today, I honor Bhumibol Adulyadej, born on this day in 1927. It was just two years ago that I returned from a Christian mission trip to Thailand with, among other things, an appreciation for that country’s ruler, the world’s longest-serving current head-of-state, and the longest-serving monarch in Thai history.

He was the King in the 1960s, when my father visited that nation for R&R, in the course of two tours-of-duty in the Vietnam War. Thailand has long been a friend of the United States – due in part to the appreciation their monarch has for the west. He was born in the US, and his education not only included schools in Thailand, but the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, and Harvard University, in America.

He serves as head of the National Scout Organization of Thailand, one of the oldest Scouting organizations in the world. He also developed a passion for jazz music, as both a performer and a composer, and was the first Asian composer awarded honorary membership in the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna.

Other interesting points … in his younger days, he was an accomplished, medal-winning sailor and sailboat designer … he is possibly the only monarch in the world to hold patents (for, among other things, a waste water aerator) … he is also a painter, musician, photographer (using a Canon!), author and translator.

So, why the yellow tie? While I was in Thailand, I learned that yellow is the color associated with the day of the king’s birth (a Monday). That’s why you see so much of that color during his birthday celebrations around that country, and on tributes to him that you see everywhere year-round.

And, why the prayer? Because, as you probably know from following world news headlines, Thailand has been wracked by protests in recent weeks … not an uncommon occurrence, but certainly the most violent that country has seen in a long time. Latest news reports from Bangkok suggest a compromise may defuse the deadly crisis … and I hope and pray that that is indeed the case, and that the people will once again heed the ‘better angels of their nature’ and their monarch’s plea for calm and rational resolution of their differences.

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Jeff McDonald

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.