How Asia Made Me A Better Person
If only we could think more like William Butler Yeats, who said:
The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.
I WhatsApp and walk. It’s not dangerous, but it’s a pretty rubbish habit. My repeat offending route is walking from home to the gym. I’ll leave the front door in a rush, jump in the 5G dead zone elevator, leave the building choosing something on Spotify, flick over to WhatsApp and the rest is a blur.
Google, Meta, OpenAI and pals have encouraged me to walk around with blinkers on. I wish they didn’t because I know how many magical things are outside my front door. I live in the most touristy city on the planet and I’m soon moving to another.
Fortunately, I don’t do it every day, I hope you don’t either, because some of the most magical things are right under our noses.
I’ve been lucky that for the last four years, “under our noses” has meant the Eastern hemisphere. I want to share with you those times my senses were sharp in the years that I’ve called Thailand my home.
I’m feeling nostalgic as the packers came this weekend, so I write this as much for me as I do for you. I hope I never forget these moments. Moments that have made me a better person. Moments I hope can inspire you to shift your perspective by an inch.
Cambodia: life in the 21st century is magical
My feet slapping on the ground, I feel a spring of emotion bubbling inside me. How many thousands of people died to build this place?
Running the ½ marathon of Angkor Wat, I reflected on how privileged we are to live in the 21st century. Tell someone in the 1800s they were going to Cambodia to run a marathon, for fun. “Cambodia?” “Marathon?” “Run?” “Fun?”
Embody Cambodia: look at the sky, the rain, the clouds, the sun, the buildings, and ask yourself, “what are the chances that I am alive right now?”
India: anything is possible (at any time)
“Can we get a taxi please?” We ask the driver with worry in our voices. Worried because we have left planning tomorrow’s journey to the last minute. “Sure, let’s go now,” replied the driver.
The beauty of the culture in India is the sense of urgency. I’ve never met so many people who have such a predisposition to action without asking all the pesky questions we like to ask in the west.
Imitate the Indians: say “yes” to something today. No qualifiers, no questions, just say “yes.”
China: wisdom is knowing when questions are futile
“But Jack, you don’t get it. We don’t ask these questions about our government because we will never know the answer.”
We sure do like to complain about politics in the west. Many countries around the world have little to no say about who governs them. I met many grounded realists in China who know where (and not to) put their energy.
Be wise like the Chinese: next time you’re about to complain, think, “how much control do I really have over this situation?” If the answer is not much, move on.
New Zealand: perfection comes in the unseen
“Peter Jackson paid someone to walk up the grassy bank to the washing line every day. They had to change the tiny hobbit clothes. Day by day they wore the grass away until it was a narrow dirt path.”
One of the coolest things I heard in the East was from Hobbiton, a part of The Lord of the Rings movie set. We were told the story of how the acclaimed director had an attention to detail that extended to the dirt paths that would only appear in two-second-long aerial shots. Jackson couldn’t imagine having one viewer write in saying, “I saw there were clothes on the washing line, but there weren’t any footpaths to get there.”
Perfectionists get bashed around way too much for my liking. Find me someone who reached the top of their game who isn’t a perfectionist and I’ll stop trying to be one.
Be a perfect Kiwi: do something truly exceptional this week and don’t tell anyone about it.
Japan: it’s not unfulfilling to only do one thing with excellence
Walking in the pouring rain down a quiet alley in Kyoto, we dived into the next restaurant. We were shown by our polite host to two of the eight seats and given a tiny menu. Out of the window was a one-metre-wide fishpond surrounded by greenery. Painted on the wall in front of us was a golden tiger with long noodles in its mouth. On the other end of its noodles were two cubs. It didn’t take long to order as there were three choices of duck soup.
Our hostess explained through Google translate that this was their family restaurant. They’d always served duck soup. The tigers and cubs were her family. It was one of the most exceptional meals we had in Japan. Simple and unchanging, but close to perfect.
Do less like the Japanese: if India says “yes”, Japan says “no”. Life is complicated and both are good answers at the right time.
Indonesia: you don’t have to be drunk to have a ridiculously good time
“It’s been a long day, without you my friend… until I see you again.”
It’s one of my most emotional memories. Walking towards me through the very public restaurant were all my finance colleagues, singing Charlie Puth's 'See You Again' as a farewell surprise. Time and time again, I have seen Indonesians do things that require Europeans to be drunk. Singing, dancing, crying, shouting, laughing. The beauty is that they haven’t forgotten how to embrace their inner and unashamed child.
Abstain with Indonesia: don’t drink anything at your next social gathering. Know that there are millions of people at university and work gatherings in Indonesia having a tremendous time without booze.
Thailand: putting the team first is always the priority
“I don’t want the promotion because I feel there is more I can offer to the team right now.”
My jaw hit the floor. We talked a bit more and I came to see his point of view. I had always cared about the teams I was in – that was until I was offered the promotion. Here was a young man role modelling to me what it meant to put others before himself.
Be like the Thais: ask yourself, “if I had to sacrifice my energy and resources for someone else, what would I do?”
We should never be naïve enough to think that our way of doing things is the right way. For all human history there have been fully functioning cultures that have done things differently to us. So, next time you’re outside, next time you’re abroad, open your eyes and think, “what am I getting wrong?” and “what are they getting right?”
