As we were trying to explain to a coffee shop owner in Bern (a bit of a himbo) our friendship and where we met – 3 Asians from different South East Asia nations (Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam) who met in school in Singapore and now live in Canada, Geneva, and Zurich – I couldn’t help but think about the wonders of chance and how small our world really is. Sure there are many people around the world that have international friends in school. Sure there are people around the world who go on road trips together. But how many of them travel to see each other for special events, for weddings, for anniversaries, once a year or so.
There was a heat wave while I was here (yesterday was the first day of rain in a week). Canada is burning. Hurricanes and floods hit California. The ice is receding. The ocean is rising. The green is burning and turning into ash. As politicians continue to bicker about tit for tat, as “world dictators” kill and fight for lands to satisfy their fragile ego, as the people continuously stick to a con man who is constantly indicted of crimes, the land is dying. We were having fun and being joyful, cautiously anxious about how many more years left we had of this living condition. “I want to see Venice before it sinks to the sea”. “there might not be a Jakarta tomorrow”
I couldn’t help but wonder, as the book I’m reading on Indigenous culture has stated, Western world science and logic focus on human superiority and humans’ ability to “innovate”. But what if what we need right now is the belief in the spirit, belief in the harmony of the earth, the sky, and the water. What if what we need right now is not better, bigger, 10x, etc. but a livable world for all (8 billion) of us.
What if the real marvel of life, the true miracle, is not about humans’ superiority, but about our ability to meet, to form friendships, to empathize, to connect, and to transcend borders and politics, and be together.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
Pace Fine Arts 