'One of the truest signs of maturity is the ability to disagree with someone while still remaining respectful."
I don't know who came up with this quote but it is a perfect reminder for everyone during this heated political climate, including those who recently posted cruel comments on social media regarding the collapse of a three-storey house in Bangkok after a fire several weeks ago.
According to the reports, the incident claimed five lives -- four were volunteer firefighters who were inside the building before it caved in -- and included an employee of the owner's home. Seven more people were injured.
This tragic loss caused many people to feel sad and feel for the owner of the collapsed house.
However, some reactions were quite hostile on social media as a group of people openly voiced their satisfaction over the death of that employee and the damages after they learned that the collapsed home belonged to a wealthy monarchist who had earlier lashed out at politicians in an unlikely fashion.
He put up billboard-like signs and posters with harsh comments and offensive remarks against Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit around the house. The comments covered the entire home from the sidewall, the front gate, and even the roof.
Not far from this house, some bird's-eye-view photos also revealed name-calling and unkind words written on giant signs that were spread across entire rooftops of other homes and buildings located in the same area. It turned out the whole project belonged to him.
Also targeted in those messages were former prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra and several well-known figures who, like Thanathorn, have long been accused by many people of having ruined the country and trying to topple the royal institution.
That's why those in favour of Thanathorn and his views about the monarchy turned aggressive towards this man and mocked him for his loss caused by the fire. They showed their sympathies for the dead firefighters but poked fun at the dead employee, saying that the poor guy deserved it.
They called him nak paen din (meaning scum or burden to the land) -- the very same term he used in one of the signs to rebuke Thanathorn and his supporters. Worst, they expressed that they wished he and everyone else in his family were also killed in the fire as well.
All their menacing comments and ill wishes earned thousands of Likes on social media. However, things became dramatic when two people in the group were fired from their jobs shortly after they posted similar remarks, which were regarded as adding insult to injury.
Both their employers, an insurance company and a hospital group, justified the severe punishment to the public, saying that their words were indecent and hurt the feelings of people in society.
I don't know if anyone who voiced their support for the monarchist aired their satisfaction over these two employees' misfortune or not but I really admire their companies for coming out to say the right thing.
Personally, I felt pity for them. They might have been generally nice people but were carried away by mob mentality to the point where they lost their senses and joined other people to attack him just because they were not pleased with his opposing views and the way he treated their favourite person.
As a matter of fact, this man had nothing personal with them before. He just loved and respected the royal institution and dared to come out to protect it in his own way without fear of the consequences.
What he had done might sound extreme and unpleasant but it should not be used as an excuse to disparage the value of his life and others like this.
We can't deny that we're living in a society where a tidal wave of hate between people with different views regarding political matters has been intensifying. But, we should bear in mind that disagreements are part of life and we should not make enemies out of people who disagree with us or allow the situation to escalate into a war.
It will be much better if we can learn to resolve our conflicts in a way that doesn't ruin our souls and push us to dehumanise each other.
Patcharawalai Sanyanusin is a writer for the Life section of Bangkok Post.