The Economy of Love: Lessons from Laos

Hey everyone, what's up?

Perspective

I hope you’re being kind to yourself today, taking a breath between the noise, and finding calm in the small moments.

When I visited Laos recently, especially in the countryside, it felt like stepping into a peaceful time capsule. The landscapes were stunning: lush mountains, calm rivers, and kind, soft-spoken people. It’s the kind of place that instantly calms your heart. But as the days passed, I began to notice something deeper: Laos is not just slow-paced. It feels economically stable.

Coming from Thailand and having visited Cambodia in 2020, the contrast stood out. In Phnom Penh, I saw visible growth: cafés, apartments, and local businesses expanding. In Laos, however, there is very little local production. Many goods are imported, mostly from Thailand or China, from food to daily essentials.

Laos feels heavily dependent. Walk into a small shop, and you’ll find foreign brands lining the shelves. Even infrastructure, roads, bridges, and the Laos-China Railway rely on foreign investment. The country seems to run not on its own engine, but on the engines of its neighbors. At night, everything becomes quiet. Shops close early, streets empty, and movement fades. Compared to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, where life continues after dark, Laos feels paused and peaceful, yet waiting. 

And somewhere in that stillness, I began to reflect on something more personal. I started to see the economy as a reflection of love. Because love, like an economy, needs to be built from within.

A country that depends entirely on others may survive, but it struggles to grow. In the same way, a person who depends solely on external validation may feel secure but lacks independence and identity. Laos, to me, felt like a quiet kind of love, full of beauty and potential, yet not fully realized.

There is so much land, so many rivers, and so many resources. But without strong local investment, that potential remains locked. And it made me think, how often do we do the same to ourselves? We wait, we depend, and we hesitate instead of building our own foundation.

I even joked to myself, "What if I invest here? Open a small coffee shop by the Mekong, and in ten years, I’ll be a millionaire, Laos style." 😂 It sounds playful, but behind it is a real truth: where there is stillness, there is also opportunity.

I got more than just memories from my trip to Laos. It gave me perspective. It’s not a broken country, just one that hasn’t fully started building its future. And maybe growth, whether in a country or within ourselves, begins the same way: with awareness, intention, and the courage to stand on our own.

I still believe in Laos. It feels like the sleeping beauty of Southeast Asia, full of promise, waiting to awaken. However, it won't occur spontaneously. It will take action, vision, and belief. And maybe love is the same: "not just something we receive, but something we build."

Growth, like love, cannot depend forever on what comes from the outside. It must be built from within. A place, like a heart, may be full of beauty and potential, yet remain still until it learns to stand on its own. True strength begins the moment we stop waiting and start building.

 

Warm regards

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