Martin confirmed many observations, pointing to the parallel influences of collectivist culture and Buddhist values as essential sources of support. Before Western studies of public health ever reached Thailand, citizens sought care and advice at local Buddhist temples and continued to do so as urban expansion created severe disparities in access among the population. Martin further attributed the ability to communally seek solutions to the gentle temperament praised in the Buddhist religion. In general, a Thai will avoid confrontation—not from a fear of individual repercussion, but from a concern for overall harmony, he shared.
Though implications of these dynamics on health intrigued me, my 20 years within American individualist culture shone brightly when I questioned what this censorship of feelings meant for individual “freedom”? Freedom, he asserted, was the ability to have true choices in life. Before settling in Thailand, he attended one of the top universities in the world, graduated with honors, and was offered a spot in a doctoral degree study program. To most, he lead a life bound for success and the “freedom” perceived to accompany it. It was not until he became a farmer in rural Thailand, however, that he felt he understood freedom. In the relationships he formed in Thai society, he was opened to the choices of the community. He expressed that individualist cultures commonly view relationships as constraints on choice. In collectivist cultures, relationships become opportunities, and it is our own abilities that limit us. “It’s not right or wrong, just different,” he concluded.