English Farmer In Issan Living His Dream Life

[BookMan]

I enjoyed this YouTube video on this English bloke living and farming in Thailand. He has some interesting views and puts forward a good case for his life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRVLtgZWqGo&feature=related

Edited December 27, 2011 by BookMan

[cardholder]

Interesting.

An eloquent case for the "Good Life".

Time will tell whether his decision to restrict his children's education will pay off.

Whilst he has laudable aims in preserving the purity of the village, and an agricultural based self-sufficiency, I think he is overlooking the fact this his is the view of a Westerner who has escaped/run away from the materialistic trappings of his Cheshire? past. Thais aspire to something "better" - he has been there and rejected capitalist values, Thais are still attracted by such trappings. They are starting from a different point.

Whilst it khun Martin's idea of 'paradise', I do not share his view - but good luck to him.

[jay-uk]

Very enjoyable to watch and listen to his thoughts. We don't get everything right in the west any longer so to break the mould and live a less complicated life is to be respected in my view. I wish him all the best on his outlook.

[transam]

Very enjoyable to watch and listen to his thoughts. We don't get everything right in the west any longer so to break the mould and live a less complicated life is to be respected in my view. I wish him all the best on his outlook.

Yep, +1

[PattayaPhom]

Alright for those that have tasted a better life but for those that only know living from hand to mouth will of course strife for a better life in the city....hope he ejoys his rasted cockroaches...

[hehehoho]

Quite an intense outlook on life. Which is fine if it doesn't really effect anyone in a major way.

I think him refusing to give his three children something that could, and would likely be of great benefit to them, the English language is beyond a bit selfish.

[jamescollister]

Unfortunately my internet is not good to say the least, but managed to get about 3/4 of it. He is right in much of what he says, but barring nuclear war the world will catch up and everyone will move over to the wage slave system in the end. Good for him for trying to hold out. How his kids will look back on it maybe another story. Jim

[MrRed]

A very well known guy in Khon Kaen is Martin more so by the Thais,everybody knows about him or his little part of paradise due to the numerous TV shows/interviews he has done.

Even my father in law has been to the village to see his work and also the affect he has on the local village life.

All power to you Martin! i agree with a lot of his thoughts and the kids do get taught English at the Thai school i am sure,he just doesn't see it as important in the whole scheme of there lifestyle and after watching the video you can see why.

[cardholder]

He has my respect and best wishes.

I still say that he is making a judgement from an English perspective i.e. of having made something of his life and then choosing the "good life".

In the real "Good Life" with Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall, on BBC television, they did not impose their lifestyle on anyone else - they chose to do it their way.

[jamescollister]

He has my respect and best wishes.

I still say that he is making a judgement from an English perspective i.e. of having made something of his life and then choosing the "good life".

In the real "Good Life" with Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall, on BBC television, they did not impose their lifestyle on anyone else - they chose to do it their way.

Everyone imposes thier life style on their children, rich or poor as they say I grow up to do as my daddy had done. Jim

[IsaanUSA]

Very interesting. Thank you for posting.

They do indeed have some things that money cannot buy.

[downtown]

liked the video at first but then he ruined it with the silly sweeping statements about both england and thailand. and he has restricted his children's education and put them at a massive hinderence in the future should they not want to be farmers

[robbo1]

Would he be classified as a socialist.

[jamescollister]

Would he be classified as a socialist.

No I would say true small free enterprise. He makes his living by his own labor and will grow or fall by his skills and enterprises. Jim.

[hehehoho]

His Children will always have land, and a job...

Then he says his wife owns 27 Rai of farmland.

That is less than 10 rai each that they will inherit. How much baht does 10 rai bring in p/a on average? about 1k per rai?

They'll always have jobs? What jobs, toiling in the sun for 200b per day if they're lucky?

[klikster]

His Children will always have land, and a job...

Then he says his wife owns 27 Rai of farmland.

That is less than 10 rai each that they will inherit. How much baht does 10 rai bring in p/a on average? about 1k per rai?

They'll always have jobs? What jobs, toiling in the sun for 200b per day if they're lucky?

Kind of negative and static thinking?

If Martin manages to instill his life and work ethic in his children, they may well acquire their own land.

Would you have him buy them all motorcycles, mobile phones and video games?

I admire the guy for raising his family they way he thinks is right. Too many Thais -- and westerners -- let their kids do whatever the hell they want rather than keeping the family close.

I do have mixed emotions about teaching them English, but then I haven't lived in their village for 18 years. At some point the kids will start controlling their own lives.

Seems that they are getting a pretty sound foundation for their environment.

[Xangsamhua]

Martin has made a choice that he can rationalise. He's found his niche. He was obviously born out of time and place in England.

He has no regard for education, other than vocational and community-based (I'm told he is very clear about this in Thai-language interviews). He is somewhat tunnel-visioned.

He seems to be an intelligent man, but quite eccentric and rather dogmatic. No one who lives in consumer society and in the congestion of large cities will disagree that we become deskilled and alienated from the land that feeds us, but few of us become as alienated as Martin has. Few of us will sacrifice the range of options that urban life and a well-paid job provide in order to go back to the farm, grow our own food, breathe fresh air and enjoy the intimate, but narrow delights of village society.

Martin has made his choice - a happy one for him it seems. I hope his children are equally as happy in their adult lives, but I suspect they won't stay on the farm. And when Martin is old and doesn't have the strength for hard labour, will he be happy to live the way old village people do? Perhaps he will. He's become quite famous now though. Perhaps the world beyond the village won't leave him alone.

[rgs2001uk]

I dont know whether this is, an exercise in self indulgence, failure to accept responsibilty or an escape from reality on his part.

I would like to think he would offer his children the same insurance policy he has, a degree and the English language.

I dont know what his income is, 30 rai producing say 5k per rai per year, 150k per year, at least he has the luxury of supplementing that with his 15-30k per month motivational talks, how many farmers have the option?

No mention of gov't land and the constant spiral of poverty and grinding misery most are trapped in.

His choice and best of luck to him, but at least give the children a choice.

[BookMan]

The video on Martin Wheeler was forwarded to me by a Thai friend in Udon. She likes the guy, and sees him as a smart man who likes this way of life, the Issan way of life. There might also be a small degree of celebrity status/knowing him attached; I'm not sure.

I found the video interesting. It is not a lifestyle I would choose, but I respect his choice, and he is obviously happy and committed to having found his path and purpose in Life.

Whether his kids stay the path would be interesting to see in the future. Martin is obviously an intelligent bloke and most likely he has given his children some critical thinking skills, which they are quite likely to use by deciding to explore more of the world.

I was not 100% sure of whether he had taught his kids English, or whether he meant growing up they spoke Thai at home as the first language? I do agree that it would help the kids to know English in today's world

His despair at where he sees the Thai rural way of life heading is similar to what is being experienced throughout the world in many communities. Wanting big cars and big houses is not the sole preserve of the issan community... It has become more popular in Western society to reject the trappings of capitalism: to lead the simple life, leave all the mod cons behind. It is sometimes the very system that is being rejected, that allows the change of lifestyle. If things go wrong there is often the safety and backup of the very system that is being rejected.

No backup apparently for Martin though. Good to see he has stayed the course over 18 years! Kudos to him.

[jamescollister]

I dont know whether this is, an exercise in self indulgence, failure to accept responsibilty or an escape from reality on his part.

I would like to think he would offer his children the same insurance policy he has, a degree and the English language.

I dont know what his income is, 30 rai producing say 5k per rai per year, 150k per year, at least he has the luxury of supplementing that with his 15-30k per month motivational talks, how many farmers have the option?

No mention of gov't land and the constant spiral of poverty and grinding misery most are trapped in.

His choice and best of luck to him, but at least give the children a choice.

Think people put a lot more faith in the English language than it really merits. Here Chinese would be much more useful. As for degrees, know a few unemployed taxi drivers, shelf stackers, who's degrees mean nothing. Life is what you make it and our western idea of having made it seems to be. Your there when you are on your 3 wife and 2 heart attack, but the company needs you back ASAP. Jim

[transam]

His Children will always have land, and a job...

Then he says his wife owns 27 Rai of farmland.

That is less than 10 rai each that they will inherit. How much baht does 10 rai bring in p/a on average? about 1k per rai?

They'll always have jobs? What jobs, toiling in the sun for 200b per day if they're lucky?

Kind of negative and static thinking?

If Martin manages to instill his life and work ethic in his children, they may well acquire their own land.

Would you have him buy them all motorcycles, mobile phones and video games?

I admire the guy for raising his family they way he thinks is right. Too many Thais -- and westerners -- let their kids do whatever the hell they want rather than keeping the family close.

I do have mixed emotions about teaching them English, but then I haven't lived in their village for 18 years. At some point the kids will start controlling their own lives.

Seems that they are getting a pretty sound foundation for their environment.

+1,

Some folk here are negative about everything all the time, feel sorry for them. . .

[Hooters]

He is hiding something, his body language is terrible constantly picking at his hands and staring down or else he crosses his arms.

He lost me when he imposed his belief system on his children who have no choice in the matter No english??????

Good education is about providing choices and they should be lucky to practice English with their dad but he is a WACKO!

He clearly states that back home this would be considered a dream life. Well I can tell you Australia has some lovely farm land in quaint little towns but I dont know ANYBODY who wants to work the land , again this nutter is imposing his very one eyed belief system on anyone that has an ear.

Now im not saying he is doing the wrong thing... for himself, good luck to him but the children ? they appear to be unfortunate..

[transam]

He is hiding something, his body language is terrible constantly picking at his hands and staring down or else he crosses his arms.

He lost me when he imposed his belief system on his children who have no choice in the matter No english??????

Good education is about providing choices and they should be lucky to practice English with their dad but he is a WACKO!

He clearly states that back home this would be considered a dream life. Well I can tell you Australia has some lovely farm land in quaint little towns but I dont know ANYBODY who wants to work the land , again this nutter is imposing his very one eyed belief system on anyone that has an ear.

Now im not saying he is doing the wrong thing... for himself, good luck to him but the children ? they appear to be unfortunate..

Total tosh, it's his life, his kids can do what they want for their lives when the time comes. This is Thailand, not Aus.

[Hooters]

He is hiding something, his body language is terrible constantly picking at his hands and staring down or else he crosses his arms.

He lost me when he imposed his belief system on his children who have no choice in the matter No english??????

Good education is about providing choices and they should be lucky to practice English with their dad but he is a WACKO!

He clearly states that back home this would be considered a dream life. Well I can tell you Australia has some lovely farm land in quaint little towns but I dont know ANYBODY who wants to work the land , again this nutter is imposing his very one eyed belief system on anyone that has an ear.

Now im not saying he is doing the wrong thing... for himself, good luck to him but the children ? they appear to be unfortunate..

Total tosh, it's his life, his kids can do what they want for their lives when the time comes. This is Thailand, not Aus.

well good for you and Feel sorry for your kids if you believe what you just wrote. Kids are a priority and supposed to be a part of an experiment by some farang loony who after failing in middle class England came here and all of sudden is impressed with the attention he draws to himself, probably the only reason he is doing it.

Parents risks their lives in leaky boats to provide a better life for their kids, now thats impressive.

His kids will be the laughing stock of the village...thats not good!

Edited December 28, 2011 by Hooters

[Jezz]

I was going to stay out of this topic because I felt it would attract the expected diehard critics – and it has! However, This Martin speaks more sense from the heart than many of us know how to begin. When you look at other interviews on Youtube dating from 2010 or earlier he has stuck by his guns, and all credit to him. He must be into his 20th or more year now and still going strong. Yes, he is a bit of a celebrity – even my Thai wife knows of him and thinks he’s great.

[Hooters]

I was going to stay out of this topic because I felt it would attract the expected diehard critics – and it has! However, This Martin speaks more sense from the heart than many of us know how to begin. When you look at other interviews on Youtube dating from 2010 or earlier he has stuck by his guns, and all credit to him. He must be into his 20th or more year now and still going strong. Yes, he is a bit of a celebrity – even my Thai wife knows of him and thinks he’s great.

Your wife is being polite

[Jezz]

I was going to stay out of this topic because I felt it would attract the expected diehard critics – and it has! However, This Martin speaks more sense from the heart than many of us know how to begin. When you look at other interviews on Youtube dating from 2010 or earlier he has stuck by his guns, and all credit to him. He must be into his 20th or more year now and still going strong. Yes, he is a bit of a celebrity – even my Thai wife knows of him and thinks he’s great.

Your wife is being polite

No - realistic.

[transam]

He is hiding something, his body language is terrible constantly picking at his hands and staring down or else he crosses his arms.

He lost me when he imposed his belief system on his children who have no choice in the matter No english??????

Good education is about providing choices and they should be lucky to practice English with their dad but he is a WACKO!

He clearly states that back home this would be considered a dream life. Well I can tell you Australia has some lovely farm land in quaint little towns but I dont know ANYBODY who wants to work the land , again this nutter is imposing his very one eyed belief system on anyone that has an ear.

Now im not saying he is doing the wrong thing... for himself, good luck to him but the children ? they appear to be unfortunate..

Total tosh, it's his life, his kids can do what they want for their lives when the time comes. This is Thailand, not Aus.

well good for you and Feel sorry for your kids if you believe what you just wrote. Kids are a priority and supposed to be a part of an experiment by some farang loony who after failing in middle class England came here and all of sudden is impressed with the attention he draws to himself, probably the only reason he is doing it.

Parents risks their lives in leaky boats to provide a better life for their kids, now thats impressive.

His kids will be the laughing stock of the village...thats not good!

My kids have kids , you sound like you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth and daddies cash will see you through.

[Gweiloman]

Having travelled the world extensively together with having lived in 7 different countries in 3 continents, I am very much in tune with Martin's philosophy. He seems to be living the life that I hope to live in the not too distant future. I have been a corporate man all my life, running the rat race and I will celebrate the day that I can hang up my tie and suit forever.

Some differences for me of course is that I will insist my kids know and speak English. Any added language will always be an advantage, anywhere in the world. Also, I would not dispense with the trappings of wealth as I have worked long and hard to enjoy some luxuries, the main thing is that I will be completely debt free, and not have to borrow to purchase anything that I would need.

[MrRed]

He is hiding something, his body language is terrible constantly picking at his hands and staring down or else he crosses his arms.

He lost me when he imposed his belief system on his children who have no choice in the matter No english??????

Good education is about providing choices and they should be lucky to practice English with their dad but he is a WACKO!

He clearly states that back home this would be considered a dream life. Well I can tell you Australia has some lovely farm land in quaint little towns but I dont know ANYBODY who wants to work the land , again this nutter is imposing his very one eyed belief system on anyone that has an ear.

Now im not saying he is doing the wrong thing... for himself, good luck to him but the children ? they appear to be unfortunate..

Total tosh, it's his life, his kids can do what they want for their lives when the time comes. This is Thailand, not Aus.

well good for you and Feel sorry for your kids if you believe what you just wrote. Kids are a priority and supposed to be a part of an experiment by some farang loony who after failing in middle class England came here and all of sudden is impressed with the attention he draws to himself, probably the only reason he is doing it.

Parents risks their lives in leaky boats to provide a better life for their kids, now thats impressive.

His kids will be the laughing stock of the village...thats not good!

You are obviously to set in your ways to realize his kids get the same education at the local Thai school like all the other kids in the village....which means they do get taught English.

He brings them up as Thai children the same as there peers so they can enjoy the environment from whence they came,also the community feeling and friendliness which is sadly missing now in western society,i am sure in later years they can make there own decisions regarding English which they most probably already speak to a higher standard than most there age.

Some people like to interfere and tell people how to bring up there children,maybe you are one of those?