Tim Robinson
Graduate Student, Master of International Management

It amazes me that a country where the typical village worker earns approximately three U.S. dollars a day, can be depicted as the land of "freedom." Yet despite the lack of what Westerners would consider adequate wages, the Thai people happen to be some of the most selfless, compassionate and utterly satisfied people I have ever had the pleasure of engaging. I began to think of this new idea of freedom today when I spent just under what a worker in the factories of San Kam Paeng would make after an entire day's work on a double cheeseburger at McDonalds. It almost makes you sick to think that you would have to work for eight hours in a typical village in northern Thailand to earn enough for a double cheeseburger. Yet again, a majority of the Thai villagers that I have met would sooner give you their last bite of food than see you feel uncomfortable. What a beautiful people the Thai are. The idea of freedom in northern Thailand stems more from a sense of satisfaction, pride in what you are doing and how you treat others. Materialism is a word that does not exist here. In America we strive to succeed, to amass accomplishments, to be accepted, to get that BMW, to be better than the next. In Thai factories, these workers strive to just be. If I could find the sense of pride that these workers find in their jobs everyday, I may just be a little bit freer after all. God bless the USA , but this American is getting a lesson is the true sense of the word freedom. The northern Thai factory workers have shown me a new sense of freedom that stems not from economic well being or social standing, but more from an inner peace and goodness of character. An utter sense of satisfaction with all facets of life may just be about as free as an individual can get.

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