Thais and sense of time

[think_too_mut]

Recently, I read a book about Japan and the authors touched on Asian nations' understanding of time.

 

In short, we, farangs, have something that's called a "monochrone" handling of routines and tasks.

 

That means, one line for the day (or longer) along which we line up what we have or plan to do and stick to it. If an activity takes longer or takes an unpredicted path, we get frustrated.

 

Asians, they do it as a "multichorone" - several lines one above another and they get onto whatever comes first and stay with it for as long as it takes, practically forgeting everything else. If it is "sanuk", the better.

 

That may explain their tollerance for being late or not doing things on time, not doing at all or "mai pen rai" and similar. ::

 

 

[Guest]

I stand corrected(Please)but I think the Thais divide the day into 6 parts & they are their meet times.

 

So that means=

i e.Give or take 90 min.

 

Also,don't walk as if YOU have right of way on the path,as in the west.

Just because your focused it wont stop Thais stopping you dead in your tracks if they meet a friend & happen to be in your,& yours alone flight path.

The times I've heard farangs,TUT-TUT

Flyer.

[think_too_mut]

?

[rovineye]

Says think_too_mut:

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?

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Exactly!

[rovineye]

That sounds pretty accurate to me. I like the explanation. But it does not take into account the trump card.

 

You may be running errands all day and must get to the bank before it closes. GF knows this and insists we go now. All the family is in the truck racing to the bank or else we can not go on holiday for the weekend. Faster tilak she cries! She really wants to go on holiday. It because of your explanation above that we are in this position in the first place.

 

Suddenly cousin #3 cries from the back of the truck that she is hungry. The truck MUST immediately stop at the next food stall/restaurant as all are now about to pass out from malnourishment since it has been 1 hour since we last eat.

[pattaya127]

Spot on, TTM. We farangs act so much on principle, this is wrong, this is right, good, bad, better, worse, etc.... And many asians act according to a situation and who they are dealing with (this concept in thai is called kalatesa, i think). Makes for a less rigid notion of going about one's life.

 

Though i do not consider thais to act close to what Buddhism really is, i must say that the religion, in 700 or 800 years of being THE religion of Thailand, has worked in their mind the very truth that yesterday does not exist anymore, tomorrow does not exist period, and only what you are doing right now is tangible. A vague notion, but something we all recognize there, save the thai urbanites who have joined the gobal rat race and other power-seekers.

[Guest]

Makes sense to me. But I've probably been out in the Thai sun too long, without a hat.

[torrenova]

Says think_too_mut:

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Recently, I read a book about Japan and the authors touched on Asian nations' understanding of time.

 

In short, we, farangs, have something that's called a "monochrone" handling of routines and tasks.

 

That means, one line for the day (or longer) along which we line up what we have or plan to do and stick to it. If an activity takes longer or takes an unpredicted path, we get frustrated.

 

Asians, they do it as a "multichorone" - several lines one above another and they get onto whatever comes first and stay with it for as long as it takes, practically forgeting everything else. If it is "sanuk", the better.

 

That may explain their tollerance for being late or not doing things on time, not doing at all or "mai pen rai" and similar. ::

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In no way can this be applied to Japan. They vie with Switzerland for their punctuality and in my experience, it would be a serious loss of face to be late for anything.

 

I don't know about this book or the theory in question but I have experience of Japan and Hong Kong first hand and whilst HK is not on the same playing field as Japan, neither could in any way be regarded as similar to the Thai mentality of "practically forgeting everything else. If it is "sanuk", the better".

 

Neither Japan or Hong Kong has a "tollerance for being late or not doing things on time, not doing at all or "mai pen rai" and similar".

 

Were perhaps, the authors Japanese, directing their research and publication to other Asian nations such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam etc. ?

[jp1]

In no way can this be applied to Japan. They vie with Switzerland for their punctuality and in my experience, it would be a serious loss of face to be late for anything.

 

Neither Japan or Hong Kong has a "tollerance for being late or not doing things on time, not doing at all or "mai pen rai" and similar".

 

 

 

Torrenova,

 

Fully agree with you. There is ZERO tolerance in Japan for being late. This is impolite and causes the 'culprit' to lose face.

The same can be said about present day China (at least in urban areas) and Korea. Punctuality is a sign of respect in these countries. I don't know why this is different in Thailand. But we should not generalize it. At official functions in Bangkok the Thai guests were always on time. Perhaps this 'being late' does not affect all Thais equally.

 

 

 

[think_too_mut]

>Were perhaps, the authors Japanese, directing their research and publication to other Asian nations such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam etc. ?

 

The authors were a couple - an American woman and her Japanese husband - Keno.

They called in (quoted) other authors for that bit. The research was, if I remember correctly, meant to cover Asian nations, in general. The only term used was "Asian", no singling out one or a group of countries.

 

Although I am in Japan now, Thais are still the most familiar Asian nation to me and the theory fits them well.