It seems we are facing the big trauma of our time. The feeling that we have lost the right to self-determination.
For the sake of political stability, our leaders tell us to do this or not do that, from the mundane to nationally important issues. There are websites we must not visit and people we must not follow on social media, or face the consequences.
The books we should not read include the recently banned Scrapping the Rice Pledging Scheme, Killing the Farmers, written by a former Pheu Thai MP who reluctantly opened his house for an unannounced "visit" by men in uniform this week.
Paritta Wangkiat is a reporter, Bangkok Post.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha blasted a teenage singer this week for her revealing outfit and sexually provocative moves. He did not say a word about an army officer who closed one lane of a road for his traditional wedding procession, causing a traffic snarl-up.
He criticised a newly elected president of the student council of Thailand's oldest university for not being respectful to tradition when the student challenged the requirement that freshmen prostrate at a welcome ceremony.
Journalists are told to focus on good news concerning the military government to keep up national morale.
The regime has heavily equipped the army and navy with a long list of new weapons from China. Yet the people are told they don't need to know the details of the arms deals despite their burdensome cost.
We are told to stay alert for the enemy, war, corrupt politicians, the ghost of someone who is not here. Are we fighting enemies that do not exist?
The regime assures us it cares for the poor. But must we also agree with the top-down way it handles welfare? Look at what is happening to the universal healthcare coverage scheme that provides healthcare access to over 48 million people.
It seems we are revisiting Democracy 101, when our leader raises four questions which many see as a hint that we're not yet ready for general elections.
His four questions are as follows: Will we get good-governance representatives in the next election? What will we do if we don't get such representatives? Is it right to schedule an election without considering the future of country? Do you think politicians with bad behaviour should be allowed to run for election?
These questions are all focused on "good" or "bad" persons. We're told to be good, which is defined by leaders who draw up a 20-year national development strategy for us.
It seems we are being given another lesson -- Moral Education 101.
A number of active citizens took those four questions seriously and posted their answers on social media. Perhaps those answers were not what the regime expected, so it decided to open centres across the country to accept answers since Monday. It was reported 14 people bothered to answer the four questions on the first day.
Some military men have an extra job. A famous primary school in Bangkok, and perhaps some others, invited troops to train our children on how to be disciplined. It's likely the kids will be told what to do and what not to do, the same way our leaders want us to obediently follow their instructions.
The kids may learn, when they grow up, that it is not wrong for military officers to disrupt a public discussion -- like a seminar on the impact of the national parks bill organised on Monday by civic groups -- in a bid to "keep peace and order".
They may also learn that summoning people for criticising the government on Facebook is appropriate, just like authorities in Hua Hin did to the wife of a scholar who posted harsh words against the administration.
Young children may believe invocation of Section 44 of the interim charter to push through any development project, before environmental and social impacts have been measured, is acceptable.
Or they may think it's fine to raid someone's house for the sake of security. A dozen houses or offices in a northern province were raided a week ago in what authorities declared as a move against "influential persons".
Is it wrong to do things quickly without asking many questions, even though asking questions is probably the only thing that can keep society rational?
It seems the aim is to make us familiar with the (mis)use of power so it can become the "new normal". Can we still make political decisions by ourselves? Can we be tolerant of those with different opinions?
Is this the meaning of being good? Is the answer limited to "Yes"?