Let physical distancing bring us closer together again...

I thought a long time about writing these lines. Putting oneself and ones thoughts out there into a world that is in a state of emergency and seems to go a bit crazier every day, does not only bear the risk of getting bullied and hurt. It also bears the risk to bully and hurt others. Although this is by no means my intention – except for a certain group of people which will be mentioned later on – I simply will take this risk and say what I have to say. Like it or not, judge me and bully me! Let your emotions out on me! Because by lowering your stress levels I might already have done you a favor and so achieved my goal...

I'm no doctor or medical expert. So I have very little to add to the discussion when it comes to that side of the crisis. Like many I have more questions than answers. But as a political scientist, ex-journalist, storyteller and foremost a social human being, I still have to say something about the current state of the world.

First of all I think it's important to state that there is at least as many lies out there as facts. Most politicians won't say what they know or what they believe in, but only what their voters want to hear and what keeps them in power. Mark Twain - as so often - found exactly the right words to describe that phenomenon: “Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.”

So don't believe what politicians say as long as you don't know them personally and trust them. They are no scientist by any means and often have no clue about anything but how to gain and stay in power. And also don't trust any information or number that comes out of China, the origin of this horrible virus. Because a country that built a second Great Wall around its online source of information has definitely the same level of credibility as most politicians do.

But there are countless other sources out there that are doing the same: Spreading “fake news”, to use Trump's favorite two words. That's one of the biggest problems with the unlimited access to free and open information: Which sources can I trust? And which sources will simply make me believe what is of use to them? Whatever question you'll ask google – you will always get the answer you are looking for. Is this medicine helpful? It is...Is this medicine harmful? It is...Is this medicine available cheaper anywhere? It is...

I have to admit that it sounds wonderful when you hear that elephants got drunk in India during the crisis, that dolphins came back to the channels of Venice and that it's all destiny because Nostradamus has predicted all this centuries ago. There's only one problem with all of this: None of these “facts” are true. At least not the way the pictures stated...

So to surf the internet these days in a way that doesn't direct you to huge waves of misinformation, you need more skills than the operation of a digital device and a browser. You have to know how to ask the right question to the right sources. Don't believe anybody online. But believe some more than you believe others. Be critical. To any source. Anytime. Especially if the source doesn't allow or discredits other opinions or information...

And here we come straight to the next point I was thinking about a lot in the last few days: What would happen if another virus hits us soon? One that almost nobody is safe from, one that nobody can build immunity against? A digital one that put the internet straight into the emergency room or even the morgue? A lot of us would face much tougher hardships than we are now. Communication would break down, quite probably power supply too, work would come to a halt and life would be as simple as it was decades ago. Primitive would be the new cool. Because the people we call primitive now would be the only ones who could survive by themselves. That's why the only comforting thought I have in relation to that is the fact that I would still be able to catch some fish with my speargun...

This Corona virus is not the first and will definitely not be the last virus, no matter if biological or digital. That's why we simply have to start living with the fact that we have no power and that no person however rich, powerful or famous she or he is, will ever be a 100 percent safe, will ever be the center of the universe. Not during a crisis. Not before one. And definitely not after one. What social media makes us believe is an illusion. All the filters, all the beautiful places we've visited and stories we've invented count next to nothing in the real world and even less so during a crisis. What really counts is non digital. That's why the thing that strikes me the most besides all the sad destinies of the people all around the world is the term “social distancing”. It simply sounds so wrong to my ears. But it also sounds like something very common and familiar, something we people became very good at over the last few decades.

Social distancing is actually a really good term to describe all the antisocial things that have entered the world through digitalization and social media. The more we went online, the more we went out of line. Out of line with our very nature, our origin as a social animal. We cared less about the people closest to us. Because we simply didn't have enough time to do it otherwise.

Don't get me wrong: I think now it's really time for social – meaning physical - distancing. But I also think that before and after this crisis it wasn't and shouldn't be. And even now could be the time to prepare for the after: Distance yourself physically from your close ones while approaching them socially. Call your mum, your granddad or your aunt in the nursing home. Call them on the phone! And yes, your Smartphone is also able to connect to a simple landline. Or do something that has become completely out of fashion but still is one of the biggest proofs that you care about somebody: Write a letter! And by letter I mean the real thing that needs a sheet of paper, a pencil, an envelope, something called a stamp and a lot of thought and time. Simply do something that shows that you are not distancing yourself from the people you love and appreciate. Be the social animal evolution made us. Be the reason to make someone else's day by simply caring and spending some time for them.

Thanks to all the new gadgets and apps – how ironic is that? – I'm able to do so with my family and friends in Switzerland and Indonesia. I'm Swiss but live a simple but happy life with my Indonesian wife and two kids in Bali. By doing so I've gained insights into two worlds over the years, into two very different worlds indeed.

Indonesia is not Switzerland and never will be. These two countries are extremes at the opposite ends in many different areas. And that is good so. But when it comes to a crisis like the one we are in at them moment, Indonesia is definitely not the country of choice by many to sit it all out. Indonesia has over 270 million people and has a life expectancy of a around 72 years; so more than 10 years less then Switzerland. The all year around tropical weather might help a bit to spread the virus slower and to keep people positive. Except of that there are some factors that worry me a lot about my new home country of choice: The government seems completely overwhelmed by the task ahead. The medical infrastructure is mostly very basic and so Intensive Care places definitely limited (I couldn't find any info about the actual numbers). People are very social and live in tight local communities. Several generations of a family often live in the same house, the same flat or even the same room. So protection the risk group and physical distancing is simply not possible. Neither would be a complete lock-down as a big parts of the population live from hand to mouth. Financial or Nutritional reserves and Insurances are not very common either. So not leaving the house and not working could become a much bigger problem in the long run. And we all know that people who are in survival mode also tend to be less reluctant to commit a crime...

So the consequences will reach far and will be very tough for Indonesia. How tough nobody really knows. Because nobody knows how long this crisis will last here. And nobody will know how many people really died of Corona. Because death is still very much a part of everyday life here. If someone dies it was simply because his time to go has come. Why making an autopsy or a test when the person's soul is already on its way to heaven?

Also nobody knows how life will be after the crisis. But we should always remember that there will almost always be destinies much sadder and harder than our own. That's why we should appreciate what we have and try to make the best out of this difficult situation. And we should all act like we are infected. This way we not only keep most people around us safe, but also ourselves. But while being infected it's also very important to still stay calm and positive. Because stress is definitely the last thing our immune systems need at the moment. Some transplant patients are given stress hormones to suppress the reaction of the immune system to a new organ. I guess if we're stressed out these viruses will have no problem whatsoever to get into our systems and straight to our lungs.

So if you're one of these antisocial panic buyers, these food hoarders, I have really bad news for you: By panicking you just entered the risk group! Your stress hormone levels will bite you in your own butt. Through Corona. Through nightmares. Or through any other stress related disease. You are doomed! And the more toilet paper you'll have, the more shit will happen to you....

And last but not least and picking up the point made before: Don't judge too quickly! Don't tell other people what they have to say or not to say, to do or not to do as long as they don't harm anybody but themselves and as long as they don't put anybody but themselves at risk. Our most valuable possession besides our health and our families is our freedom. Our freedom to believe what we want. Or freedom to say and write what we want. Our freedom to live the way we want. Our freedom to chase after our dreams. But also our freedom to deal with risks they way we want to. So if an old man who fought for the freedom of us all one day wants to keep this freedom even if he risks dying, then help him to find a way to do so by keeping all the others safe. If you're alone, isolation can be as bad or even worse as catching the virus. It's not without reason that isolation is the punishment reserved for the worst of the worst in the justice system. Loneliness can kill as can this virus. So help out wherever you can and don't judge too quickly. Because you have no idea what story a person has to tell. And you simply won't know why this person is still walking in the streets in spite of the curfew as long as you haven't talked to her or him...

So stay safe and positive. And keep caring! Let the people around you know that you think of them. Let physical distancing be the start of social approaching. And don't do it the way I do it: Don't write something in the meaningless online world but talk to your loved ones on the phone or through a closed window. Because written words will only show your real intention the way a spoken word will when they are part of a proper old-school letter...

 

Mai 2019

Mit grosser Vorfreude und noch grösserer Dankbarkeit darf ich hier und heute meine nächste Ausstellung publik machen: Vom 5. Juli an werden einige meiner Werke für eine Woche die Wände der schönen Sittermühle in Bischofszell schmücken. “Close Up” ist eine Verneigung vor dem einfachen Leben, eine Nahaufnahme der Spuren dessen und eine Ansammlung von Geschichten, die nur dieses einfache Leben schreiben kann.

Während der Titel der Ausstellung eine Wahl war, stand deren Inhalt niemals zur Diskussion. Denn auf meinen letzten Reisen nach Indien, West Papua, Madura, Flores und einmal rund um die Welt, ist mir wieder und wieder vor Augen und zu Ohren geführt worden, was ich seit dem Erlangen einer gewissen Reife zu verstehen glaube und deshalb auch zu leben versuche: Das gute Leben ist das einfache Leben.

Ich freue mich, hoffentlich viele bekannte Gesichter wieder zu sehen und unbekannte kennenzulernen; sei dies während der Ausstellung oder während meines längeren Heimaturlaubs mit Familie. Und ich bedanke mich auch jetzt schon ganz herzlich bei jedem, der diese Einladung oder Informationen dazu in irgendeiner Form teilt. Denn wie es auf englisch so schön heisst, ist “sharing“ schliesslich ja „caring”...

 

Summer 2018

It's about time I'll let you all know about another project of mine: A little while back I've been sponsored by SevenFriday to travel all around the world to do "my thing" with their new collection of sunglasses. Although SevenFriday is a Swiss lifestyle brand which is mainly known for their watches, I definitely hope that they soon also will be for sunglasses.
I really like the SevenFriday style and their philosophy - every day is a Friday, so every day you work with motivation and passion, with the "thanks God it's Friday attitude" - and so it was a no-brainer when they asked me if I want to make some collaborations with them.
So from Mid-March on I've traveled from Bali to Jakarta, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Hawaii, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Mexico City, Stockholm, Lisbon, Zurich, Dubai and then back to Bali. And in all this places I've found interesting people in the streets which were happy to have their photo taken with the really cool new sunglasses of SevenFriday.
And although it was an amazing experience, it was also a pretty tough one. Because I've organised pretty much everything myself on short notice. And besides a lot of planning, a lot of flying, a lot of walking, a lot of taking photos, a lot of talking to strangers and a lot of exploring, I also had to fight a constant jet lag...
But I'm well rested again and definitely ready for new adventures. Because I simply love my work and so really don't mind to live SevenFriday, to work every day of the week...
So one more huge "thank you" to all the people around the world involved in this project - I really appreciate
And all of you who want to see more photos and keep up to date, go right here: https://www.facebook.com/sevenfridaylimited/
or to @sevenfriday_sunnies in Instagram.

 

 

January 2018

“A culture shock is a very potent fuel for your creativity”. Although I've said and thought this words many times before, it's the first time I write them down. And the reason is that they got proven again. So thank you India for proving me right, for shocking me, for showing me a side of life and humankind I have never witnessed before and for letting me find the photos I love the most in this very loud, pretty dirty, unbelievably crowded but still very attractive chaos of yours...धन्यवाद

 

 

August 2017

Unreal! That's the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about my second trip to Papua. Unreal! Simply unreal what I experienced in only one week: Worst hotel room since a very long time if not ever, over a dozen bloody mosquitos covering my hands in the morning after the first night, coldest showers ever (even in the tropics water is cold at almost 1700 meters above sea level), no glimpse into a mirror the whole week, very weak and no internet or phone connection at all during rainfalls, met the usual local idiot and for once also a dozen from abroad (I've never been so disgusted by the rude and completely disrespectful behaviour of a group of Chinese photographers before), a night of fever with crazy dreams, lost my little gopro camera and my hat too and of course got sunburned on my forehead straight away, followed by a obviously completely intoxicated "crazy" man during the whole walk in the city of Wamena and had a heartbreaking encounter with four little boys who were sniffing glue...

Although all this might sound like the ingredients for a horror trip, it wasn't one at all. It was quite probably even my best trip ever. Because I had a good new friend showing me around. Because I met a lot of wonderful people - some even from back home - and had a 270 degrees view of the breath taking Baliem valley from my hotel room on the first floor of the shed. And because I experienced an ancient war festival up close and got a lot of stories in my head and on my camera - also on the lost gopro I got back in mysterious ways. But the most unreal thing about the trip was the timing: The script was simply perfect! So perfect that it couldn't just have happened by accident. But that's a story I'll tell you another time...