Never mind that fuel prices have jumped again or that busloads of red-clad followers of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra are streaming across the borders with Laos and Cambodia to greet him or even that the National Happiness Index has taken a dip due to rising commodity prices and the situation in the South.
There is no shame in putting aside such worries this weekend and replacing them with a happy face. It's Songkran and that means every hotel and guesthouse on Khao San Road is full, highways are choked with traffic and reconciliation is not just being talked about but actually happening as tens of thousands of family members of all political colours unite nationwide.
This should be a happy occasion when we wash away our problems, at least for now. What Songkran should not be is a time for tension and stress. Yet the turbulence gripping the country during the 2009 and 2010 festivals ruined any semblance of a fun-loving mood and replaced it with despair.
Although the political scene is stable this year, there will always be a self-indulgent minority which abuses the spirit of Songkran. They see the celebration as an excuse for drunkenness, reckless motorbike racing, drug-taking, gambling and taking water-throwing to dangerous extremes by using powerful water guns or directing hoses at innocent passers-by and moving vehicles, especially motorbikes.
They act without thinking and cause accidents in which people die or are injured. Eyes are particularly vulnerable to shards of ice.
This is hooliganism at its worst and represents the dark side of the festival. Society has undergone many changes in recent years and some of these troublemakers are people who have fallen through the cracks and adopted irresponsibility as a way of life.
Blaming consumerism, a lack of parental guidance while young, the negative side of globalisation or even the social divisions in society only scratches the surface of a deeper malaise. What is especially sad is that many would-be celebrants now stay at home or go overseas because they no longer feel safe.
Some consider life cheap, but never more so than at Songkran. Witness the drunken antics of motorcyclists despite evidence that many will die.
There are just too many idiots on the roads who see nothing wrong in driving while drunk, cramming 20 or more friends or relatives in the back of a pickup truck, overtaking on bends, running red lights, cutting aggressively in front of other vehicles and, in every instance, choosing speed over safety.
Proof that it was not always this way lies in the country's vast pool of seniors or retirees who did not gamble recklessly with their lives while young and consequently survived to enjoy their golden years.
The ideal Songkran would have designated areas for splashing water from dawn to dusk, volunteers monitoring conduct on minor roads where most accidents happen and restrictions on alcohol sales.
This would exclude dousing motorists, cyclists or motorcyclists. Youngsters need to understand this and some foreign tourists might need a reminder. Not that all adults are beyond reproach. The ones who commandeered a fire engine in Nakhon Ratchasima some years ago and used high-pressure water hoses against their victims took irresponsibility to new heights.
Those who abuse Songkran spoil it for others and are best kept off the roads and out of sight for their own safety as well as for the well-being and sanity of others.