So when you feel into the Corona crisis at the moment, what do you learn at the moment?
I learned that we have spent a lot of money on military preparation. Some people said that there might be a possibility that we are entering the Third World War. But we are not prepared at all for what could happen in terms of the pandemic. And now it happens. You would be surprised when you look back and you see so many researchers talk about it. They talk about it in 2015: that there surely will be a pandemic and that the world is not ready for it.
And then they mention that, you know, we don't have the money to spend on research and development and stuff. And people are saying no, it is expensive and you have no idea if the research is going to yield any result or not. It seemed like a big investment at a time. But then again, you can invest on so many things. You know, it's just a matter of choice of what you put your money on.
And now you see what is being said in 2015, or 2010 is happening and we are clearly not prepared for it. In 2020, when everybody says that we are very much an advanced society. So, yes, we are advanced. But on what? I'm not sure I'm learning anything, but it's just making me realise that we are not on the right path.
Ok. Thank you. The second question and there is a shift. There's always the notion of a crisis being also a chance. What window of opportunity do you see opening at the moment?
Spontaneously, there are two points that I see: The first thing is right now – as you are working from home and I'm also working from home – is that we can see that the pollution drops down significantly, at least in Bangkok. There is a lot less traffic. I'm very surprised that I can travel from my home in outskirt Bangkok to downtown in 20 minutes. And usually it would take me two hours.
Somehow we realize that much of the work that we are doing can very much be done from home; many of the meetings can be done by email if not conference calls. So there are many other ways.
The second point is the role of the media. I can see now how the people working in media are asking themselves: what news are we portraying to the audience? This is quite a big shift, at least in Thailand. I am not sure if it is different in the other countries. This is because people are in panic, and panic has a cost: cost to the hospitals, costs for the doctors. They are supposed to serve people who are at risk, but by stirring panic doesn´t help.
So the chance is that the media get to reflect their rules and practices: What kind of information are we putting to the audience? It's true that we have the rule of giving information. But to what extent is the information necessary? You know, some information is not necessary. It's just breaking news. Breaking news for your own sake, because you get all the attention, all the clicks, but it doesn't help anything to society.
So now again, maybe a shift into a future in which your society or the global society has somehow contained the Corona pandemic. So when you look at the future, what do you want more of? What do you want less of?
More of collaboration, global cooperation. Like for vaccination that is going on at the moment. Many researchers and scientists are working on getting universal vaccine.
What I want to see less of is pretty much on the same page: xenophobia. You'll be surprised. I was walking up to the swimming pool and then there's a foreigner who asked me to stay away because I look like a Chinese person. I mean, she has the right to be concerned for her own safety, I can understand but it is a very thin line.
If you think of the time after Corona? What is your highest dream? A dream you don't even dare to dream at the moment?
My wildest dream... this is a really good question because I have been feeling that this world is sending us a signal. It is giving us the last chance to reset ourselves and where we are heading. It has been giving out signals for so many times, for so long, but it's not until it is a near death situation that we wake up.
So the wildest dream is we see how deeply interconnected we are. We have been saying this a lot, but we have not really.. felt it and experienced it deep into our core. And it's not just interconnected in terms of human beings: everyone can get infected. It can start from one person, from one part of the world, and then it can travel to the rest of the world.
But it is all the micro beings. The micro beings that wire us together. That can do big damage to the world. So I'm not sure if you think the answer to my wildest dream. Oh, yes. But it's maybe it's okay for. Yeah.
If to really feel that you know, if we are to see them being to the core. And whatever you are doing to other beings you are pretty much doing to yourself.
Anything else that needs space? If not, I would stop the recording.
Thank you for the questions. I think it would be the first time that I see some light of hope because it's been very harsh.
