Jon Jandai is probably the happiest man in Thailand. The self proclaimed 'happiness' farmer from the northern part of Thailand lives a carefree life in the village while many of his contemporary compatriots are heavily burdened with debts and expectations. Jon is from Yasothorn Province Thailand and has been farming all of his life. He began building earthen homes on his family farm in 1997. He co-founded Pun Pun in 2003 and is most interested in preserving heritage in seeds. During his younger days, Jon was drawn by the bright lights of big cities and left his family farm to seek the richness of Bangkok, but after a number of years there, he decided to return to his village. He then started to experimenting the different ways to build houses and to do farming. He began teaching the methods to other villagers as he continues to create a movement of creating sustainable and affordable living in the countryside.
Jon's TEDx talk, "Life is easy. Why do we make it hard?" has now been viewed over 5 million times. He shares his perspective and his definition of happiness. He stresses the importance of balance and well-being in one's life. He questions the modern lifestyle where many are in a continuous cycle in trying to earn and gain more, but is, in fact, continually in shackles and lack the freedom to be happy.
Jon's talks often raise questions about self reliance, sustainability of natural resources and real value of personal economics. He often provides an insight that is very different from the general perception of the modern world that many times, one cannot help but to envy his detachment from monetary values and his contentment and happiness in life. He believes everyone has a choice, and the choice should be to make life easy.
Jon has since started a center for self reliance and now conducts regular workshops and events for guests who wants to learn from him and his team about self reliant living, organic gardening, community living, natural building and natural health. His workshops are well attended by individuals who are just starting out in their careers (millennials) and those that have already attained certain level of success in life and career. His guests comes from both within Thailand and from countries around the world.
Jon is passionate about spreading his thoughts on seed preservation, which he believes is very important and will ultimately allow humankind to continue to live a sustainable and happy life on earth.
Jon Jandai is available for speaking engagement via London Speaker Bureau.
