The media thrives on bad news, and the recent incessant reports, warnings and reminders from the government and the international health bodies are great fodder for our journalistic friends. Everywhere we turn, we are confronted with images of pigs, Mexicans and people in masks; not to mention bar graphs and statistics that detail the latest count of people infected (or are suspected to be infected).

While obviously the news of the flu outbreak is a concern, it is important not to succumb to the mass panic. Instead of acting out of fear, we might take this as an opportunity to reflect and change our lifestyles in ways in which maybe we have always wanted to do anyway but never got around to. Things like paying attention to our immune system and health (sleeping more, eating better), re-considering our priorities in life (family, life purpose) and looking at ways in which we can return to a more natural equilibrium.

Bad news is good news, for whom?

There is an old Sufi story about a man who was traveling between cities. On his way, he met Death.

"Don't worry," said Death, "I'm not coming for you. I'm just planning to wipe out the whole population of..." And Death pointed to the city that the man had just come from.

"Considering how many people in the city you will have to collect, you seem rather relaxed," noted the man.

"Oh, but it's easy," replied Death. "I don't have to personally kill them all. I just kill one person, and the rest of them will die out of panic."

Modern science has at long last come up with an explanation for this piece of Sufi wisdom. Our immune system's performance depends primarily on good mood and good rest. Fear makes us easy prey to germs.

So rather than being stressed about the upcoming epidemic, it becomes more vital that we take a deep breath and take it easy.

Where the mind goes, energy flows. This is a simple cosmic law. The more people are constantly reminded about the threat, the more they think of them. And the more minds in the community are occupied by anxiety, the greater the possibility of it occurring.

Have you noticed how some people seem "naturally lucky", while others are constantly being cheated, or getting the short end of the stick? Research has found that these so called "lucky" people put themselves in certain situations and have an attitude that will attract luck. It's as simple as - if you are in a good mood and smile at people around you, people around you are affected, and will most probably smile back and be friendly to you.

The mind is a very powerful thing.

And now, the real good news

So, instead of panicking, a smarter way to go is to seize the opportunity to really take care of ourselves, our community and our planet. There is no time like a crisis to help us reflect.

1. Greener life styles - Take active measures to promote health: rest more, exercise more, enjoy outdoor life and more natural diets, as well as mood management (think positive).

2. Spend time with those around you - The moment is now. The fragility of our lives only underscores the fact that we need to treasure the time we have on this earth with those we love. Instead of working ourselves to death for a bigger house or car, we can focus more on the quality of life, and spend more time with the family.

3. Re-examine your priorities - Life is more than a full time job (which is anything but secure anyway these days). Are you doing what you love? In his studies and personal experience in concentration camps, psychologist Viktor Frankl discovered that people who were most able to survive the brutal conditions were not necessarily the strongest or the more clever, but rather, people who had something to live for. "He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how."

4. If there is a future, it must be green - Some might say that epidemics are nature's way of adjusting the disequilibrium created by our unsustainable lifestyles. No matter what the cause, it is clear that human beings cannot continue to live in such excess. The economic and medical crisis may be opportunities to live greener. Travel less. Shop less. Lower our ecological footprint. Who can argue that this is not Gaia's wise way to oblige humanity to tread softly on Earth, once more?

Dr. Chau chairs the Green Living Education Foundation. He can be contacted at simon@simonchau.hk.

(HK Edition 05/09/2009 page7)