We landed on the island of Penang, Malaysia on Monday afternoon. We were met by friends, crowded into their vehicle and began driving on the wrong side of the road. I should mention all the other cars were on the wrong side as well.
This was no surprise since with background in the British Empire we expected to be on the left side of the road. A million people live on Penang, so rush hour traffic on this small island is quite dense. What amazed Jan and myself was that everyone was travelling in cars. Where were all the motorbikes?!
That evening we went for a half hour walk and again were amazed. We did not dodge around any parked motor bikes nor have to thread our way through them as we crossed the street. We've only lived in Ho Chi Minh for two months, yet motorbikes everywhere now seem very normal. The absence of thousands of motorbikes seems quite abnormal.
Isn't it amazing how we humans can so quickly adapt to a "new normal"? This is a great strength - normally! Sadly, we know it is far too easy for individuals and for cultures to adopt poor or even destructive ways of living and have them quickly become the accepted "new normal".
I wonder if in any personal relationship, without realizing it, I may have adjusted to a new normal which is actually damaging and may ultimately be destructive? How healthy is your "new normal" these days?
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