I was a young boy when I across this saying in one of the journals that arrived once a month: Life is a long holiday with Intervals of work. I thought about this on and off as I was growing up into my career and that thought never left me. Life should be enjoyed with multiple endeavours and work would be just one of them.
How to achieve it ?
I was very influenced by an Austrian Jewish refugee by the name of Erwin Frenkel. I had met him casually but immediately impressed by his erudite nature. Fortunately for me, I had a few meetings with him, just chatting away and I appreciated that he didn’t think those chats with a Mizrahi adolescent to be a waste of time. When I told him of my interest in Astronomy, he recommended me a book by Immanuel Velikovsky, The World in Collision and then added: Stars do not get sick, people do, become a doctor!
(the magic of the Internet: I found this photo of the grand-daughter of Erwin Frenkel holding his Austrian passport!)
I think of him often.
Both Australia and USA helped me to achieve my desire to have a life full of meaning of which work is only a part. To make things more complicated, unlike other people who have one career, I chose to pursue two: Specialist in Endocrinology and Anthropology focusing on the Indigenous peoples of the world. In fact, these disparate careers may have enabled me fulfil the dream: Travel, Work, Philosophy and Literature and Politics of developing countries, World Music and interesting people around the world and pick up smattering of other languages other than English.
This is an introduction to the note I received from Siem Reap, Cambodia this morning from Ko Maung Maung, my Burmese brother of many years. He wrote, Ko Aung Khant (my Burmese name), we are ruined, Siem Reap is ruined, we have to close the hotel and change our lives. He is a devout Buddhist which might help him through the turmoil.
My heart sank. What about the sweet Khmer lady who sells juice to the tourists and whose daughter is hoping to study Medicine? Anya at the Gekko Massage who carefully does a leg massage? The Young lady who has to drive a long distance each day to work at Pau the New Khmer cooking resto? My two little friends whose mother is employed at the Raeksa Laundry which cleans the soiled tourist outfits. It is not as if you could look for another job. There are no jobs, brother, said Maung Maung. Of course, the government is too poor to compensate those who lose jobs or income.
The tourism-based economies of that region, Thailand and Cambodia would suffer the most. Malaysia and Vietnam would suffer as all flights would are discontinued. Malaysia likes to consider itself a developing country with wealth but it is but a veneer. Young people, less educated people and rural people live well below poverty line and these are the people who would be most affected by a decrease in commerce, travel and tourism. India is not heavily dependent on tourism but there is a dependence on income from Gulf Countries and IT outsourcing. There will be difficulties in surviving.
In all developing countries the same stories will be repeated, but the suffering would be stark.
In the developed economies, the suffering would be emotional and intellectual and less so physical. All rich governments have proposed billions of dollars to help out, it may not replace the business as usual but it will be some help.
I have noticed an anxiety about income, especially when you do not have a reserve to fall back on as in the USA in addition to the medical hardship and payments. Another kind of anxiety is about work itself and this anxiety has roots deeper than Coronavirus.
I had written a blog long time ago; Cuba is living in the future meaning a catastrophe such as this will not devastate Cuba as its resilient people would move on and make do. Cuba is not economically developed but the Government has put its resources into the development of the Cuban humanity. You need that humanity, its solidarity and its desire to help others in trouble and willingness to share what LITTLE they have will get them through. This cannot be legislated or cultivated overnight. In Cuba you are a human being first and then your profession comes later.
I have worked with Indigenous peoples and they are easy going enough. As long as I come they are happy but it does not have to be any specific time or day. They taught me Uncertainty is part of life and Life is not an ordered process but Chaotic.
If you can accept chaos and uncertainty, and add to it a lack of desire of material things, then you are ready to face the world knowing fully well nothing is going to stop you on your path.
Upward movements, especially between cultures without paying attention to the position in life (your philosophical statement about life), may create confusion and unhappiness. A purposeful life as shown to be present among the people in the Blue Zones of the world, living happily for longer years.
An elderly Indian once said to me, he was an UmonHon: If you make a medical mistake I will forgive you, but if you make a human mistake I will not. Being a better human being is far more important than concentrating on becoming a better doctor. A good person becomes a good doctor, say the Native people, who believe in the concept of healing rather than curing.
So, a lesson to be learned at this time of Corona is that spend time on your life and the people who matter in that life rather than your work and then hope for your life to fall into place. If your life is in place, it will always receive you back with open arms, cushion you, whenever you have to take a fall: at work or elsewhere.
I advise not to make distinctions between work and life. I am the same person when I am at work or at home or when I am travelling.
We spend so much on building our financial future and security and pay very little attention to our human potential and our development as human beings.
The Buddhist Himalayan mountain Kingdom of Bhutan was the first to introduce the idea of Gross National Happiness rather than dwelling upon Gross National Product.
Next time when you meet someone, instead of asking, what do you do for a living? You can enquire: what is the source of your Happiness.
(memories of San people, !Kung at Tsumkwe in Namibia)
