On a walk last week I picked some things to notice, one being electricity meters. In England and Australia these things are usually hidden away somewhere but here in Thailand they are usually visible somewhere out on the street where, although they can be easily tampered with, they can be easily read by the Electricity Board. They are not particularly noticeable though – unless you start looking for them. I found these ten quickly on a single walk.
The other thing that these pictures got me thinking about was Thai’s fascination and superstition about numbers. I haven’t heard anything specifically about numbers on these meters but lottery tickets and car number plates (as well as auspicious dates) are considered gossip worthy by many people here. When folks are told that their car number plates are not very lucky they may be guided by a fortune teller or particular monk to add another number to the plate, usually smaller than the numbers of the official plate. This goes along with a superstition about the colour of one’s car and if told they have an unlucky colour will add a sticker saying ‘This car is blue’ to improve their luck.
Thai’s (generalising) put way too much stock into these kinds of things, thinking that they have little or no control over their own lives. When they put little effort into improving themselves they can blame bad luck for their failures. Obviously I don’t think this is good, but am I right? I just tell myself I am.
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