Peanuts is all we need: finding true happiness in Myanmar

Myanmar. Before visiting, I could only relate it with opium and dictatorship. The truth is that the country also hides unique treasures such as Bagan, a city the size of Manhattan, where instead of skyscrapers, you see more than 2.2 thousand temples. However, the country’s true beauty lies not in its scenaries, but in its spirit. As I once read in a guidebook, when visiting Myanmar, open your mind and you’ll come back with your heart full. Or something like that.

My experience started when myself, two Brazilian friends and a local guide went trekking in the rural city of Inle Lake, famous for its fishermen and their ability to use their feet, instead of their hands, to do their job. Anyway. We left for a 16 km walk up the city mountains, visiting villages and being saluted by cheerful kids who would shout “min-ga-la-ba!” (hello in their local language) and give us flowers as a welcome gift (one of our friends received more flowers than usual, probably a sign that its increased femininity stood out in our group).

Every little village or house we passed by had a different function within the community. The farmers, boat producers, silver and gold jewelry producers, and so forth. They were all very poor and worked with very little efficiency, but looked surprisingly happy and welcoming.

After several hours of intense walk, when my friend’s shirt was already black, rather than its original grey color, we stopped for some tea at a wooden house. The owner was an old farmer at his late 70s, who would communicate with us with the help of our guide, although with relevant limitations. This old man was laughing all the time and had a very enthusiastic smile, regardless of not having any teeth. He was the happiest of all. I double checked to see if he had any weed in his plantation, but apparently his joy was authentic.

He offered us some tea, very good indeed, and something similar to peanuts (which I regretted having tasted, as they were unpalatable). Our guide told us this man never left his village (more than 70 years!), so his entire life was based on his plantation (and the disgusting peanuts that would keep his body moving), tea and some differentiated action, which resulted in his 12 kids.

We were all enjoying so much the presence of the old man, we ended up having to rush out of his house to look for a proper bush to unload the respectable amount of tea we had with our newly found idol.

So after this inspiring visit, I asked myself, how can we be happier in the luxurious world we live in? I don’t know, I’m not a shrink, nor a communist and I have a lot of materialistic wishes in life as well. But it was rather revealing that a man could be so happy, living with so little. He never saw a Ferrari or a fancy apartment in his life, all he wanted was the minimum to maintain his life, he subsisted, he ate peanuts. However, he smiled more times during our short visit than any other man I’ve seen in the rich european countries.

I guess you shouldn’t be so frustrated or sad due to an unfulfilled dream of buying the coolest car or a pair of Louboutin shoes, because in essence, you don’t really need all of that to be happy.

In fact, as this old man showed me, we could very well live with just peanuts.

                             Picture: Me and friendly monks in Bagan, Myanmar

                             Picture: A kid scratching his little balls in Inle Lake, Myanmar

                            Picture: They eat a lot of peanuts everyday. Inle Lake, Myanmar