A FASCINATING COVID-19 OBSERVATION! (NOT MINE)

A FASCINATING COVID-19 OBSERVATION! (NOT MINE)

A former colleague has spent many winters living in and exploring Thailand. He is currently “stuck” in Pattaya, Thailand waiting for the pandemic to subside when he will somehow be able to return to his home in Calgary. In his blog, he has questioned how Thailand with a population of 69 million has experienced 47 deaths, and in Alberta with a population of 4.4 million, 59 deaths have occurred. In Canada 1800 deaths have occurred in a population of 37 million. What is the reason for the huge differences? Below are his personal thoughts and opinions on that question. I certainly found it very interesting and he has allowed me to share it with you. It is a much more interesting read than my usual offerings.

“Besides some simple cultural differences eg the wai vs the handshake, I believe that there are differences between Thais and Canadians that run much deeper than these, and it is these differences that help answer the question for me about both Canada’s failure and Thailand’s success in response to Covid-19. The basic difference comes in the ways that each views Life itself, that most fundamental of all views. In Canada, Life and Happiness are virtually inseparable. Our goal in life is to be happy and we know that if we are unhappy it is not that difficult to achieve; Get a  better job, buy a new car, take a holiday, and so forth. We also expect things in our Life to go smoothly such as our car will start quickly, that the streets will be plowed, that the LRT will be on time, and again, and so forth.  If these are working well, a Canadian is happy about Life.

A Thai looks at Life as a struggle, that existence itself is suffering. The Thai expects that Life will not go smoothly, that there will always be problems and setbacks. Further, the Thai believes that every person has the necessary tools within her/himself so that this particular struggle may be resolved and Life will continue. The notion of ‘Happiness’ is absent. Meditation is the major practice of Thai spirituality. (Of course, this is Buddhism. 95% of Thais are Buddhist.)

This difference in the Thai and the Canadian view of Life help explain for me why the difference in response to Covid-19 had such different results. When Canadians first heard of Covid -19 they were irritated, concerned that this is another inconvenience that would interfere with their Life. There was little change in the ways that they went about their daily activities until the ‘rules’ were in place and enforced. As the news worsened and lockdowns began, there was some resistance to the new ‘rules’ and an attitude of conforming with those rules to the letter of the law rather than its spirit. Canadians grumbled because they could not go to work, the kids were not at school, nothing was running smoothly. The problem solver of buying something was unavailable because the malls were closed. Canadians were on their own. Conclusion of John and Mary Canuck: There is not much happiness in our Life.

When the news of Covid-19 reached Thailand the response was very different. Because Wuhan is practically a neighbour and Chinese tourists were numerous in Thailand in January, there was a greater sense of immediacy in dealing with the pandemic. More importantly, Thais also saw Covid-19 as just another instance in that struggle called Life and they took it in their stride as something that was not a surprise. They also knew that they had the resources within themselves to deal with this new struggle. They had no need of rules from the government because it was clear that they should stay home, wash their hands and maintain social distances. I recall when  my son and I were on a Skytrain in Bangkok that every person except us, in a full car, was wearing a face mask, yet no rules were in place. When we arrived in Pattaya the streets were noticeably empty, once again before rules were announced. Thais acted on their own.

Briefly: Canada resisted rules that negatively affected their Life and delayed in adopting the different Life required by Covid-19. Thailand reacted much more quickly to the threat because such were to be expected and they knew how to act responsibly in short order. The response factor was determined by their different expectations regarding Life itself

Result: Thailand’s death toll is less than 5%of Canada’s. And that is my explanation for the difference in results between Thailand and Canada.”  An interesting reflection! What do you think?