Learning document #8 – His Majesty the King’s Philosophy on
Sufficiency Economy
It is believed that Thai people have potential to develop themselves and their thinking capabilities as well as ability in doing things forcefully in order to solve the poverty problem and to build up stability of their family’s economy. They are as well taught to think and to do things reasonably and live with reasonable lives through sufficiency economy. They learn how to find ways to do immunization for their occupational performances through self-reliance as well as having good moral and value that contribute to having happy family in a pleasurable society.
In learning how to develop their abilities in thinking and performing things based on sufficiency economy philosophy, they may have to concentrate or rely on 5 significant components as follow:
1. Developing skill on thinking reasonably.
2. Developing skills on finding adequate way in making decision for themselves and their community.
3. Developing skill on identifying proper way to immunize themselves on things they are going to do.
4. Developing skill on locating knowledge so as to summarize the information on what they are going to perform.
5. Developing desirable attitude on thinking and doing things well in order to build their moral and values.
In applying sufficiency economy concept , it is simply to undertake the said 5 significant factors to integrate all concerned issues which are to be done by analyzing their related interaction so as to get useful information for deciding developmental plans at all levels.
In doing the follow-up and evaluation of the success regarding the application of sufficiency economy philosophy, the learners should particularly evaluate themselves since the success of each learner is not the same, and this is regarded as self-evaluation to enable the learner to know where he is and where he should stop rather than to decide how to compete others.
Meanings and valuable aspects of 5 components of sufficiency economy
1. Reasonable thinking - means to conceive the causes and the effects of what we are going to do and aim to happen. For example:
2. Adequacy – means to do things adequately for ourselves and not causing any trouble or unhappy. This is individual awareness.
Example 1 – Mrs. Loy decides to grow a particular kind of banana called Mali Ong banana on the area of 3 rai in order to make dried banana. The data identifies that she practices her adequacy as follows:
1. Using her own workforce without hiring any worker to help growing.
2. Having knowledge that banana tree takes 12 months to yield its product. Therefore if she grows bananas 100 square Wah (square two-meters) monthly, then when it comes to 12 months she will be able to grow banana trees in the whole area of 3 rai, and can produce an adequate amount of bananas.
Mrs. Loy will get appropriate and adequate amount of dried banana for selling on her own.
Example 2 – Mr. Khem, a handicapped guy who cannot walk but sit on the wheelchair decides to grow the asparagus on the area of 200 Square Wah (half a rai). Her data concerning her adequacy is as follows:
1. She wants to earn only 300 baht for taking care of herself and her mother
2. She owns 2 rai of land located within the asparagus area and there is a distribution company coming into her community to buy her asparagus product everyday.
3. If she begins her career with 200 square wah for her production, it will be adequate in terms of her physical ability aspect.
4. The area of 200 square wha can be able to produce 8-10 kilograms of the asparagus. 47
5. The price of asparagus is 40 baht per kilogram, therefore she will certainly earn 300-400 baht per day.
6. This job and activity is seen as the most appropriated to her ability as a handicapped whocan gradually move.
3. Immunization – means to identify proper ways to protect damage or failure pertaining job performance. For example; fund saving as the cash flows for expanding business, making recognition among customers or improving the quality of products to satisfy the customers, giving love and honesty to the worker counterparts, etc.
4. Perception or wisdom – means to find the approachable way or reasons about what to do and how to manage based on actual situation. Therefore, acquiring knowledge and understanding should be done clearly in order to integrate them into actual experiences for successful operation.
5. Moral – means thinking and intention that concern occupational performances in which it should be valuable practices in terms of moral, rule, regulation and not create trouble to society.
Summary –
The philosophy on sufficiency economy is concerned particularly sensibility, commitment, awareness and understanding on what is going to do for earning a living sufficiently in actual society and community, and be prepared for entering into the world of economical competition.
The philosophy on sufficiency economy does not reject capitalism but accept the power of intellectual on self-development as well as social and community developments.