Happiness for Tor is a place in the woods

No, seriously, if you have Bt100 million to spend, you’re going to expect something pretty sweet in return. So forget about stocks, starting your own business or buying land for an amusement park, says Thanonchai “Tor” Sornsriwichai.

The veteran director of TV commercials at leading studio Phenomena says he broke open his piggy bank just so he could buy six rai off Soi Onnut – and grow trees, lots of trees. 

His choice in how to spend large, hard cash might seem like a slap in the face to landowners who put up so many buildings that there’s no room for trees, but it’s not like Tor is raising forests to save the planet. “I always do the calculations before I start on something new,” he said at an event called “New Heart, New World” held at Suan Mok Bangkok, as reported by the Isra News Agency. 

“If I build a condominium, I’d have residents, but what would it really bring me? Nothing intellectually, because, as an owner, I’d only get the money. And it’s not that I’m just being kind-hearted – please don’t think that. Having nothing but a forest clearly demonstrates my selfishness!”

Tor hopes the trees will be of benefit to future generations. He’s happy enough seeing them (the trees) in their infancy. “My happiness is just to grow them.” 

Shy about public speaking, he has declined many invitations to talk about various projects over the years. He was much in demand after his advertisements won the top prize at Cannes eight times. Finally an invitation to speak to just about 100 people at the Buddhadasa sanctuary outside Bangkok appealed to him. 

Those who know him well understand the tree project. Bt100 million is nothing to toss around, but Tor has been around in the industry and isn’t the sort to bother with self-promotion, even when it comes to owning a posh car. He’s more interested in living his life “light” – simplicity, non-attachment, that sort of thing. 

Tor says he worries that fame would only inflate his ego. He’s never even ventured abroad to pick up the awards they keep throwing at him. “I ask myself what’s the use. You come back with an object and you have to find a place to display it. People might admire you, but that’s all there is.” 

But talking to the folks at Suan Mok Bangkok is useful, he decided, since he had the chance to discuss his ideas with others. His advice is to avoid places where you have nothing but admirers you because your ego will swell and your nose will be in the air. 

“The scariest thing is to think that you’re the best and the smartest,” he says. In Thai society, “We tend to praise people very quickly and dump them just as quickly, and I don’t want to be in that vicious circle.” But he denies that he’s living a “slow” or “inactive” life. What he does is enjoy what he has and shun the dictates of the materialist world. 

Not bad! If Tor can inspire a few more millionaires in Bangkok to grow trees – literally or metaphorically – we can all breathe a lot easier.