The Social Disorder Crisis: A Call for Empathy and Stability

Malaysians, especially politicians, are embarking on a dangerously misguided path of social disorder, compromising our well-being and quality of life. We have inadvertently fostered a serious social dispersion, leading to greater disconnection, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenic behaviour. From a biological science perspective, we are afflicted with a condition akin to parasympathetic failure syndrome, so acute that, unless promptly addressed, it may become more widespread among the populace, further jeopardizing our well-being amidst compounded economic and political uncertainty. We have lost our natural ability to empathize with others’ pain and suffering. Our capacity for empathy towards our fellow citizens is now at its lowest level, if not entirely absent. To correct these wrongs, we cannot allow chaotic approaches to prevail, as such chaotic and entropic behaviour will only invite the imminent failure of modern society.

The Future of Data Integration: Digital Twins and Whole-System Thinking

Until you can see the whole picture, ie, see the forest instead of the trees, the so-called expert opinions are at best disjointed, siloed, and tunnel-visionary based. This is nobody’s fault. This is just how we were and are trained. There are not many experts out there who can see the whole, mostly in parts, including from the so-called Big Five Consulting firms and the United Nations.

I think digital twins can help to a certain extent of course, as we still need to gather all these analytical and predictive mathematics, formulae, algorithms, and models which in themselves could be incomplete and not whole-system in character. This mathematics, formula, etc., could be based on old worldviews, thinking, and unproven science, continuously embracing the ill and non-standardized definitions and maxims such as sustainable development, net-zero, EIA, and continuously worshipping the classical economic theories and capitalism-based growth. But at least all the necessary data can now be gathered whole-systemically and rather more efficiently and, better still, real-time. Digital twin technology, if employed correctly, can help close the data gaps and elevate our appreciation of why the whole-system approach is the only way forward if we want to get things done right, accurate knowledge, data, and information-based. Hopefully, we can now choose the kind of prosperity and growth we want. With data generated and provided by digital twinning, we can now bring to the fore life-cycle assessment, trade-off analysis, and putting true price on Nature as we continue our economic growth journey.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Embracing Digital Twins for a Holistic Approach

Until we can see the whole picture, i.e., see the forest instead of the trees, so-called expert opinions are at best disjointed, siloed, and tunnel visioned. This is nobody’s fault; it is simply how we were and are trained. Few experts out there can see the whole, mostly only parts, including those from the Big Five consulting firms and the United Nations.

I believe digital twins can help, to a certain extent, as we still need to gather all these analytical and predictive mathematics, formulae, algorithms, and models, which may be incomplete and lack a whole-system character. These tools could be based on outdated worldviews, unproven science, and non-standardized definitions and maxims, such as sustainable development, net-zero, EIA, and the continuous worship of classical economic theories and capitalism-based growth. However, at least all the necessary data can now be gathered systemically and more efficiently, and better yet, in real time.

When correctly employed, digital twin technology can help close data gaps and elevate our appreciation of why a whole-system approach is the only way forward if we want to get things done right, accurately, and data-informed. Hopefully, we can now choose the kind of prosperity and growth we want. With data generated and provided by digital twinning, we can now bring to the fore life-cycle assessments, trade-off analyses, and true pricing of nature as we continue our economic growth journey.

The Need for a Reformed Approach to reevaluate EIA

Based on the press statement, the Minister got partially right then again nothing new, furthermore that is not the real issue or problem. The real issue is the relevancy of EIA in today’s world, a much smaller world at that, and what is the best approach for it execution both as maxim for environmental management and regulatory requirement. EIA needs philosophical redressing, scientific rigouring, nature-based exposing especially in the manner assessment is being carried out, recontextualization and most important of all inter/trans-disciplinarily performed not multi-disciplinarily as is currently practiced. Putting few trees together does not make it a forest. Putting all the sub-consultant assessment reports together doesn’t make it an EIA report.

Rediscovering Wisdom in Nature: A Call to Sustainable Living

With many calamities befalling humanity and the planet, failures at almost every corner we turn to, have we not lost our wisdom to survive and survive well? Or did we never have it in the first place? Where can we seek to regain the wisdom that we desperately need to survive and live sustainably with our only home, the planet?

I am certain it is not found in schools nor in the higher institutions of learning, nor Harvard, Oxford, nor from those professors we admired so much. But I believe it lies right in front of our eyes. Yes, wisdom lies in the realm of many, in plenty and in diverse coexistence, in the interconnectedness of things, in smart partnerships and relationships, but all acting as one single whole, a single entity.

We are part of that whole and entity, and should we choose to disentangle ourselves from it, we will surely lose this innate wisdom and meet the unimaginable fate of withering away like a useless and obscure object, insignificant and irrelevant. Yes, that will be our eventual final destination—becoming a useless, insignificant, and irrelevant species on this planet earth.

We therefore face the only option available: be part of nature, learn to respect nature, and vividly learn from it. Connect with it, interact with it, and talk to it if necessary. You will soon be amazed that wisdom indeed resides in nature. Wisdom in nature is brought forth from its diversity of species, coherence in relationships, and redirecting abundance to other members in the midst, never selfish, never greedy, and never a moment too late to give but rejoicing in the giving. Sharing and intimate functioning is the order of the day—never too much, never too little, just enough for all, just enough to last for all eternity.
Hope you enjoy it, my friend.