No Seed, No Happiness
I’ve been listening to the teachings of agricultural guru Jon
Jandai, a native of Thailand who has things to say about living easily, simply, and
well.
As a child, Jandai, like many boys in rural Thailand, was
encouraged to travel to Bangkok to attend university with the goal of what is
conventionally considered a ‘better life’. But after a brief time in the big
city, Jandai found himself unhappy.
His studies in architecture and agriculture were leading
him to join the ranks of architects and agriculturalists whose work destroyed
the natural world and put buildings and other structures in its place, placed
poisons in the soil and water, and drove others to compete for money to buy the
buildings and structures they and poisoned landscapes made. He wasn’t happy
with his studies, he wasn’t happy in the city, but most of all, he wasn’t happy
with the prospect of taking his place among the earners, competitors, materialists,
those in debt, those who are driven to excel, and those with degrees.
So, Jandai returned to Chang Mai – home – and made
decisions about the trajectory of his life. What he learned resonates for me as
one of the most important lessons anyone of us can heed; that life can be very
easy or very hard, depending on our choices.
Jandai founded Pun Pun, the Center for Self-Reliance, in
Chang Mai, Thailand, where seed saving and compassionate living close to nature
and with respect for nature and all life is supported and taught. He occasionally
travels and talks about his choice to shun higher education, live simply and
therefore easily, grow his own food, build his own home, and live free from
debt, competition, worry, and wanting.
Pun Pun is now a thriving agricultural and learning
community and organic farm and seed saving center where visitors can learn how
to garden organically, salvage their seeds, build natural and sustainable homes
using local and salvaged materials, and live simply and easily in a world where
simple and easy are not considered hallmarks of success.
Check out Jandai’s short podcast, ‘Life is Easy. Why Do We
Make It So Hard? His accent is thick at times, so listen closely. Go to the Pun
Pun website at www.punpunthailand.org
to learn more about the philosophy of the center.
Most of all, we should all think about the ways that we’ve
made our lives harder than they need to be. Home ownership (better called home ‘owership’)?
Financial debt? Material wants? Maybe it’s unnecessary and expensive higher
education (I wish someone had counseled me on that before I took 3 hard-won college
degrees). Or maybe we’re clinging to anger and resentments: these can make life
very hard. I love Jandai’s question: why do we make life so hard? Life is easy. It really is.
Much love,
Barbie xo
