Chris' Best Advice
My advice to you is to use this website to simplify your life. No country is perfect, but I feel at home on this island.
The people here are poor by our standards, although most of them now have things like TV sets and motorbikes. Their life is very simple and close to nature. They are quite religious and follow the "four noble truths", but they do not believe in a god. Almost all young men spend about three months in a temple, to learn Buddhist teachings and meditation (the king also did this).
For myself I prefer the OM-meditation, the oldest, simplest and easiest way of harmonizing with my center and the source of life. It is basically humming OM and exhaling all the way with each breath, for about 15 minutes.
Most Thais have no insurance whatsoever, no social security, pension, unemployment insurance etc. Yet they feel more secure and happy than most people in the rich welfare states. How is this possible? Their insurance is the family, and their whole life revolves around it. The center of the family is the mother, and mothers day in the villages is a three-day festival.
They love babies, they hold and kiss and play with them from day one. This love is spontaneous, byt they also know that their children will later take care of them in their old age. Thais are nice to each other and especially to their relatives, partly because they depend on each other. Nobody can exists outside the family.
In our rich welfare states, on the other hand, the family has been subverted or replaced by the government and insurance companies to a large extent. Children are no longer an asset, they bercome a time-consuming and expensive burden. Childless couples and same-sex unions become common. The population shrinks, - and may disappear in time.
Thai society, on the other hand, functions quite well, it prospers and grows, although it is not free of problems like alcoholism, drug addiction, corruption and crime. Most houses in the villages are simple wooden structures with hardly any furniture. Thais really know how to prepare delicious food, and spend much time cooking and eating in cheerful company. Everywhere you can find mobile kitchens that offer one or the other specialty, and restaurants feature tasty and inexpensive meals.
A network of government-subsidized hospitals takes care of basic health needs at low cost. In spite of occasional tragedies, people enjoy their blessings, and this is still lthe land of smiles. Over the years I have learned much from them, and my life is now much more simple and enjoyable.