• • •
While sitting around the pool in Bangkok, absorbing the dangerous rays of culture shock, I assembled this collection of Lao proverbs that also gives some insight into our trip. I started to comment on each and then decided to let each of the proverbs stand on its own. The only thing I will say is that I went back and forth about making number one number fifteen and number fifteen number one.
Fifteen things I learned in Laos told through Lao Proverbs:
1. A stupid man acts smart.
2. When you come to a village where people squint their eyes, squint your eyes.
3. If you are a tiger, you would be accused of having stripes
even if you do not have stripes. You may as well paint
yourself with more stripes.
4. If you like things easy, you'll have difficulties; if you like problems, you'll succeed.
5. When buffaloes collide, the grass is also damaged.
6. One has to cross upstream, higher up, to come downstream properly.
7. When you've heard it you must see it; when you've seen it make a judgement with your heart.
8. Beautiful only in appearance, not sweet-smelling when kissed.
9. Coming slowly is better than not coming at all.
10. When the water rises, the fish eat the ants; when the water falls, the ants eat the fish.
11. Keep a cool heart.
12. If you're shy with your teacher, you won't gain knowledge;
If you're shy with your crush, you won't have a wife.
13. You can live in a narrow space, but it's hard to live with a narrow heart.
14. It is easy to bend a young twig, but hard to bend
an old tree.
15. Happiness flees those who seek it.
