Jon Jandai on redefining wealth and making life simple

Jon Jandai of Pun Pun Organic Farm and I sat down for an in-person dialogue when I visited Chiang Mai, Thailand, back in March of this year. It builds on our podcast conversation from years ago, during which he shared about how he grew up in rural Thailand, was told by people on TV that rural people are backwards and poor, and consequently moved into the city to work a job to make more money. But that led to an eventual revelation. As Jon reflected in our conversation: "I thought, ‘Why did I work 10 hours per day in the city, yet not make enough to feed one person, but when I came back to the land, I worked only half an hour per day and I had enough food to feed six people?” Thus seeded Jon's pathway to simple living. Join us in this live discussion as we chat about a different kind of wealth and security, how Jon views GDP growth as a sign of what we've lost, and more. OVERVIEW 00:00 Introduction 00:48 Cultivating a community culture without control 05:46 What holds a community together without rules? 09:37 Individualism, collectivist culture, and feeling secure 10:30 Self-reliance as a different kind of wealth and education 13:24 A different way to look at GDP 17:14 Restoring degraded land and learning to grow food 21:08 Do we all need to become farmers? 23:59 How do we distinguish needs from wants? 25:58 Jon's worry for future generations — and what we do about it 30:50 Words of wisdom for an overwhelming world Learn more from Jon via @JonJandaiLifeisEasy *Learn more about Pun Pun at https://punpunthailand.org/ *View the episode show notes here: https://www.greendreamer.com/podcast/... ~~~~~~~~~~ Get a glimpse into the Pun Pun and Panya Forest communities via the PRELUDE to this mini series here:    • [PRELUDE] Villaging in Chiang Mai, Thailand   Listen to my full conversations with Pun Pun community members (and co-founders of Panya Forest) Ramphai and Greg — Meet Ramphai:    • Rebuilding community, saving seeds, and re...   Meet Greg:    • Relearning how to belong in a world of dis...   Listen to my first podcast conversation with Jon where he shares his personal story: https://www.greendreamer.com/podcast/... ~~~~~~~~~~ MORE LOVING, LIBERATING, AND LIFE-AFFIRMING WOLRDS ARE POSSIBLE. Subscribe to Green Dreamer for more conversations like this, and stay up-to-date through my newsletter and socials: Newsletter: https://kamea.substack.com Instagram:   / greendreamerkamea   If you feel moved by these conversations, you can help sustain this alternative media work by... Becoming a Patreon member:   / greendreamer   Making a one-time contribution: https://greendreamer.com/support