Q1 2020 - Lessons Learnt

Since the start of the outbreak, I have not commented much about this entire episode. Even though I went through SARS, I was too young to even remember much, except that major exams and school holidays were pushed back and I got to celebrate my birthday in school.

All of us hope that this will go away as soon as possible, but I knew that this is here to stay, at least for a year because I believe in tipping points; whereby beyond a critical point in situation/ process/ system, unstoppable effect or changes will take place. It is a magic moment that pretty much follows the law of nature.

In times like this, we will see the best of people and worst of people; we will get to elevate the fundamentals that our societies are built on; we will get to understand how robust are the systems of our own countries.

One of my favorite books, read it if you have not!

5 lessons that I have learnt:

1) We will never be greater than the force of Mother Nature

It is the air we breathe and the atmosphere that makes Earth livable, and it is under threat from humanity. I think most of us are destroying this beautiful place faster than we are caring for her. Testing its limits, failing to understand and come to terms with Mother Nature will cease to exist.

I think we need to respect all life forces living here, after all we did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

2) Complacency kills

I am "fortunate" enough to have the first-hand experience at the initial phase because I just came back from China for business to Singapore for Lunar New Year celebrations. This was the period and I remembered how both Governments took extreme, careful and deliberate actions to tackle the problem. First was to stop (minimize) the spread of cases, the second was to identify and isolate those tested positively, and track down those who had come in contact with them, third was educating and assuring the communities at large. Both countries were very swift. In fact, Taiwan and Hong Kong (minus away the on-going protests) were doing their best efforts too.

While some countries were fighting it and working with their own citizens, there are a lot of racist remarks and in my opinion, unnecessary comments. Rather than exhibiting positive influence and bringing people together to fight a common cause, we were divided. There are also comments that we are too hard on our measures and there is absolutely no need for such. Many were plainly sitting on the fence watching us as if they are watching a show.

Perhaps the recent explosion can be better contained if everyone takes it seriously from day one. Even with lock-downs going on, if the internal efforts from respective countries are not strong, poor measures/planning/executions will only make the people suffer more.

Due to the nature of my work, I meet many individuals on a daily basis. 80% of the people whom I have met have yet to

• Prepare themselves (Employees) if the economy gets worse
• Have a Business Continuity Plans, BCP (SME Business Owners) if numbers continue to skyrocket
• Brainstorm on how to pivot (employees, entrepreneurs, self-employed)

At the end of the day, it is pure complacency and laziness. Where did personal responsibility go?

3) The Ugly Side | The Beautiful Side

All the supermarkets madness/ toilet paper rush is totally uncalled for. I understand that we need to do what it takes for our own survival, however, clearing shelves and taking more than you ever need is selfish. You are depriving others to have their fair share. What about those who buy their supplies on a monthly basis because they are waiting for their paycheck? What about those old and weak who are not as physically-abled?

Taking a step back, if you are angry about increasing prices due to a shortage of demand, maybe now you understand what it is like to need insulin that costs $6 a bottle but is sold without insurance for $300.

On the other hand, I have met beautiful angels who go the extra mile to do grocery runs for those in need, to provide meals to people in their communities, to gather notes of Thank-Yous to our frontiers warriors.

If we all stopped living in our own little bubbles and learn to strengthen the ties that bind us all together, I can imagine in the face of the next crisis, we will do better than this.

4) We can be very productive

If you are surprised at how easy it was to cut back on excess meetings, now you understand how much time we waste on work that doesn't actually help anyone but wastes all our time and resources.

If your company found a way in under a week to help everyone work from home, maybe you will consider that companies could have been doing that for disabled employees the whole time but chose not to.

It just takes a little creativity and thinking out of the box. Humans are at the top of the food chain because we are capable of such, even in the midst of the crisis, we are able to innovate and still perform under constraints. While pressure is not welcomed by some, I think good pressure is essential, not only will it humble us, let us have the opportunity to learn and re-learn, it will push us to our limits so that we can have the next breakthroughs!

5) An Attitude of Gratitude

Above all, always be thankful. There is never a perfect world, perfect system, perfect structure, perfect governance, perfect you or me. Be extremely grateful that you are alive, that you have a healthy body, a good heart and an active mind to share and give.

Albert Einstein puts it well:

There are only two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle.