Take the invention nicknamed the “monkey’s cheeks,” which he designed to address the perennial floods that Thailand experiences. His Majesty remembered seeing as a child the way that monkeys would store chewed bananas in their cheeks so that they could eat them late, and built a system of small reservoirs that worked using a similar principle – storing excess water during heavy rains that could be used later for irrigation. The system of the “monkey’s cheeks” is still being used across Thailand today. Many of the King’s inventions fit this pattern – merging conservation with human development. He was decades ahead of the curve in recognizing that what was environmentally sustainable was crucial to the long term health of communities.
Let me conclude. In June 1960, His Majesty returned to the United States at the invitation of then-President Dwight Eisenhower. He was asked to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. He was just 32 years old.
Speaking to Congress, His Majesty said that he had accepted the invitation in part because of what he called “the natural human desire to see my birthplace” – Cambridge – which he returned to on that trip. But he also came, he said, to affirm our two nations’ unique friendship and shared values. As he put it, “Friendship of one government for another is an important thing. But it is friendship of one people for another that assuredly guarantees peace and progress.”
His Majesty told members of the U.S. Congress that there was one tradition valued above all others for the Thai people – the commitment to family. He said, “The members of a family are expected to help one another whenever there is a need for assistance. The giving of aid is a merit in itself. The giver does not expect to hear others sing his praises every day; nor does he expect any return. The receiver is nevertheless grateful. He too, in his turn, will carry out his obligations.”
Now the King was speaking about the bonds and generosity among members of Thai families. But in retrospect, his words can just as easily be applied to the way that he lived his life. A life of always looking for ways to be useful to those in need. A life of giving, and of serving, every single day. Not to earn praise, not to get something in return, but rather because that is what one does for family. And His Majesty considered all the people of Thailand to be his family. How fortunate the Thai people were to have had His Majesty as a member of their family. And how fortunate we are to be able to learn from the way that this remarkable king chose to live his life.
Thank you."