Everyday Life in Thailand

Over the same period two years ago me and my girlfriend were in Thaton, a very small village in northern Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. What impressed us over there was the total absense of tourists. We felt like privileged: no one to bother us, alone in the wilderness, in the middle of gigantic mountains, in a preserved natural environment; we were in total harmony with nature.

It is under these circumstances that you truly realize what the meaning of life is. Nowadays violence, materialism and egocentrism are so ingrained in the mainstream cultural identity of people. For centuries we have been developing an attitude towards consumption, and the worst thing is that we believe in the desirability of acquiring and possessing things. But life is not about taking selfies, getting dressed like a princess or buying a sexy Ferrari Daytona Spider just for the sake of amazing your friends.

So what is the meaning of life? You should ask these people, the ones that you can see in today’s photos. They know a lot more about life than we do. And they are certainly happier than we are. I think living simply, having humility, is a first step to happiness. But corrupted we are, by all these desirable things that surround us. We humans are so weak. Finally, aren’t science, technology and modernity our worst enemies?