On a red dirt road that branches out 50 kilometers from the Khon Kaen – Nong Kai highway and under the bright sun, shady trees and dust, stands a small village that is not much different from communities you find in the rural areas of Thailand. But what makes this village distinct from others and people of all walks of life interested in visiting this place, namely the media, social developers, foreign agencies and a small magazine like OOM.
The sign in front of the village reads “Bhan Whang Village, on the road of sufficiency as graciously proposed by His Majesty the King. A man with Caucasian eyes, who spoke with a clear Northeastern or Esarn dialect, owns a small modest house and field in this community... his name is Martin Wheeler.
In his Manchester United football shirt, he greeted us warmly, inviting us to go up to his house to sit and talk. His small home was newly built and stretched in front is more than 20 rai of farmland. There were banana trees grown by Martin to “test” the soil and the fruits will be collected to sell in the markets in no time. The green grassland extended as far away, reaching a stream of water.
In his strong clear Esarn accent, “I moved to buy this plot of land and build a house. I stayed at my old house for six years and did some gardening but not much because the soil was not robust. The land has been parched this year, with rains coming in only once and farmers have complained that it has been the driest time in the past 25 years. Although we are located near the Ubolratana dam, we don’t have an irrigation system from the source as it would cost more than 400 million baht. We decided to dig our own pools of water and I planted more trees and started farming and developing the resources at hand. My wish is for my children to become farmers when they grow up too. Right now I have a set up the cable tv as an incentive for them to come and play here. I had all three of them stay over last night but I am not rushing anything because they are too young. My eldest son, Ball-Eric helped me grow many trees while my smallest one, Tee-Derek, helped a bit and went back to playing.” (laughing)
“I’d just like to have this choice for them when they grow up. The main issue of those residing in the countryside is parents don’t want their children to live like this, and encourage higher studies so that they become superiors or bosses one day. The community thus disintegrates because the working people choose to go in the city.”
As someone who just arrived in the village, I have to confess that I didn’t think there was anything special about this small village on this dry piece of land. But surely there must be something extraordinary in order for this graduate from London University to move here and call it his home.
“My reasons for staying here are not so much related to farming though, but more because it’s such a warm and livable community. Everyone lives in sufficiency. They feel that there is no need to be over-achievers nor is it necessary to be greedy. If there are no rich people, there will be no poor people. Money here is not an indicator of anything. You will see that the people here live in comfort and quality, where everyone owns a house and land and the environment is healthy as people are willing to help each other. In comparison, 40 percent of English don’t have their own homes and 99.5 percent don’t even have land.”
“I came to Thailand 14 years ago from Blackpool, a small town to the north of Manchester in England. I had planned on backpacking in Thailand for a year or so, but due to my compulsive spending and behaviors of alcohol and drugs, I was broke by the second month. Thais always see foreigners as English teachers and I used that conception to make money. I taught English in schools in Bangkok for eight months but hated it. During that time, I met my wife, Rojana or Rose, and we decided to live together. When she was pregnant with our first child, we visited her mother in Khon Kaen. I was impressed with the nice weather and wanted our child to be born here. I knew that if we continued staying in the capital, my marriage would not survive. So we decided to move to Khon Kaen, initially staying with my mother-in-law. I worked as a construction worker, earning about 120 baht a day. I spoke English and Thai at first but now I speak Laos and Thai.” (laughing)
“I knew that I didn’t want to become my parents, who lived in the middle class and everyone was seemingly materialistic. If you live in a society of injustice and competition, there will never be peace. Your win is based on someone’s loss. Capitalism teaches people to earn the most money, with the most production and profit, and you will be recognized as talented and rich. However, it teaches you to be selfish and take from others.”
“I found happiness in working hard in construction and farming. There was clarity in my life. Trust me, people producing food today will be of great importance because you are providing essentials for others. I believe in setting a good example for others, where there is no need to own a car and I am content in staying in my house merely worth 12,000 baht.(300USD)”
“I think the main problem for the people in the rural areas is lack of experience and because of that, advertising can easily mislead them. I was born in a big city and came from a middle class culture, so my judgment is quite clear. I believe that those who are in the rural areas without outside experience but are able to maintain dignity and live without debt are the smartest people around. I was happy to see that His Majesty the King stating that the “Happiness Index” is the indicator of the standard of living for the Thai people.”
“My sister and her husband recently came to stay with us. At first they were sleepless because of all the nature sounds but now she says she envies me and the fact that I live with nature. I noticed that people from big cities are beginning to return to natural surroundings. I think it’s wonderful as long as people respect nature and are not needy of the resources available.”
Martin has become a full time farmer, leading a simple life with hope but without any struggles or burden, like a small cool stream that flows its course in a large river of life.
“All my life, whether in England or Bangkok, I have been running on the treadmill with others but today, I step off and walk at my own pace beside it. To work on the farmlands in a Kingdom reigned by His Majesty the King is the most wonderful life for Thais. Thailand is abundant with resources and good people, but I am concerned that in two decades, this uniqueness will fade away. People would be westernized, speaking the same language with the same tastes. Everyone in the nation at all levels stress their love and respect for the King. But we have to keep in mind that respect and execution are entirely different and to live sufficiently needs practice.”
We followed him downstairs and watched him slash some grass in the fields. His daughter felt embarrassed about how her father led is life. We, however, had an uplifting reaction towards him, someone who lived sufficiently. The winds would blow and make his rice plants fall over but they somehow manage to stand right back up. When we left, we saw Martin’s kids playing on the dirt field and his daughter still looking a bit embarrassed.
I gave her a smile, silently whispering to her heart, “Your father is the strongest man in the world.”
One day, she will tell that to the world too.
Martin and Rojana Wheeler
Children are Eric (Ball), An, and Derek (Tee) respectively.
49 Moo9 Kumplalai, Tambon Baan Dong,
Ubolratana District, Khon Kaen 40256
************************ Time is like a river. You can not touch the same water twice,
So enjoy every moment of life...
"Capitalism teaches people to earn the most money, with the most production and profit, and you will be recognized as talented and rich. However, it teaches you to be selfish and take from others."