“Life is easy” says Jon Jandai. “Why do we have to make it so difficult?”
After pursuing “success” in Bangkok for several years, Jon dropped out of university to return to village life. There, he went back to the life he knew as a child, working two months of the year to grow rice (with an additional 15 minutes a day to grow vegetables), dug a couple of fish ponds, built his own homes using earthen bricks, and gave up buying clothes (he has so many clothes from friends and visitors that he has to give them away). Jo contends that to be happy, we cannot just rely on money; we have to reconnect with each other.
“Before I thought that stupid people like me … cannot have a house… because people who are cleverer than me and get a job need to work for 30 years to have a house. But for me, who cannot finish university, how can I have a house. It’s hopeless for people who have low education like me. But when I start to do earthen buildings, it’s so easy! I spent two hours per day… and in 3 months I have a house. A friend who was the most clever in the class he has a house too but he has to be in debt for 30 years, so compared to him I have 29 years and 10 months of free time. I feel life is so easy.”
Jon runs Pun Pun an organic farm, seed-saving operation, and sustainable living and learning center. At Pun Pun they use ancient natural building techniques with readily available, local, natural materials with little embodied energy and salvaged materials to make homes, a practical and affordable alternative to resource intensive conventional building.
Tribalmystic Stories 
I always ask myself this question. Why can’t people just be honest to people and themselves? We spend so much time worry about a bunch of stuff that don’t even matters and ignore what does. Nice post, keep on blogging 😀
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That is so true. Deceit is so rife these days. We also punish ourselves with what is NOT important. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Much appreciated. 🙂
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You will always be welcome 😀
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If country leadership can harness efforts for cheaper houses/food/medicines/clothes….life on earth may be more bearable for many…no need for expensive brands/food/medicines/houses that proliferate now to serve the corporations.
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That is so true! Thank you so much for sharing your insightful thoughts Kahwahtan.
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So true, we do make it hard. Lots of work, constant rat race. We get so far from nature, so far from realizing how things are connected to each other. Great post, thanks!
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You are very welcome L.T. Garvin. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
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Thank you, so much, for this post—timely for me—critical wisdom………
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Oh Alex, I am so glad you enjoyed Jon’s wisdom. Thank you very much. I enjoyed my simple (easy) growing up days in my village in PNG. I miss that.
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It’s funny how many people living stressful lives in high-powerd jobs yearn for a simple, uncomplicated existence, But somehow they become trapped, dependent upon their high earnings to keep up mortgage payments and so on, as Jon said. His life now, sounds perfect.
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Yes, I love his life. Thank you Millie. Hope you are well. 🙂
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So true. Why DO we complicate everything? Things do not make us happy. Neither does money. ❤ ❤
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That’s right my friend. 🙂 ❤ Thank you for watching. It is such a lovely story.
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