Bangkok (AsiaNews) The newly-created Social Center and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace held a seminar titled "Tsunami: a lesson of a sign of the time". A Buddhist monk and a Catholic priest were among those invited to take part.
Phra Phaisarn VisaLo, the Buddhist monk, said that the immense tragedy has to be seen as an opportunity for Thais, especially young Thais, to do something good for society. For him, "human beings should forget themselves, be humble and respect the nature. The Tsunami is not nature's revenge. It is materialism that makes people destroy nature and so humans being should see themselves as responsible for its consequences".
Fr Somkiat Trinikorn, the Catholic priest, pointed out that "conflicts, war, an unjust economic system, capitalism and liberalism are all signs people do not heed".
"After seeing such destruction, pain and sadness," Ms Siriwan Santisakultham, President of Signit Asia, said, "I feel very desperate. Even now, residents who live in temporary government shelters, bear scars on their hearts. Only love, understanding and closeness can heal their wounds."
"The Catholic Church must focus on spiritual rather than material help. The tsunami taught us that possessions and wealth do not bring true happiness. And what matters is convincing the younger generation," she added.
The seminar ended on the shared belief that the lesson that can be drawn from the tsunami experience is not one of violence and fear, but one in which God encourages us to experience a change of heart and mind.