Calm Before the Coming Chaos
Early April, right after the
Mango Art Festival and during the Thai New Year, the
Songkran Festival life was somewhat as expected. My mind was relatively calm. There were a few COVID-19 cases reported daily, with numbers hovering below 50. This was followed by a sharp increase in COVID-19 instances, with most cases in Bangkok linked to a high-end nightclub in the
Thong Lor district.
Despite this new outbreak, the government encouraged the public to travel freely and enjoy their holiday time during the Songkran festival. A sense of overwhelm started creeping in. This is where the incoming stimulus started to aggravate and unsettle my thinking and emotions. I could see it in myself and others, more solemnity and soberness in some, and more anxiety and alertness in others.