# 3,999,900 haven't died of SARS

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Story
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-singapore-sars-talks-go-ahead
- Themes: fear, perspective, epidemics, humour
- Life situations: pandemic fears, travel during an outbreak, cancelling events

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

Ajahn Brahm lands in Singapore at the height of SARS — headline “100 people dead”, heat cameras at the airport ('think cool'). His disciples, who've hired a convention centre for four days of talks while the government discourages public meetings, ask if they should cancel. He asks how many people live in Singapore — about four million — so nearly four million haven't died of SARS. Everyone laughs, the tension goes, the programme goes ahead and no one gets SARS.

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

that's what happened to me once when I went to Singapore during the middle of the SARS crisis i' been here done that before and as I landed in Singapore airport I actually read the newspaper on the plane and on the front page the headlines and just to make the newspaper so very well it's in big black bold 100 people dead and I think gee and it's sort of when I arrived in Singapore they had all the you know the heat cameras on you so I was thinking come on think cool think cool think cool you never know if these things work or not but anyhow they going to be probably there again tomorrow morning when I arrive but we got this heat cameras and all my disciples they were just lined up outside what should we do what should we do what should we do they' hired the convention center just for my talk just me alone must have cost cost a fortune to hide this place and they said should we cancel the Singapore government had requested no public meetings the schools have been closed they put so much money into this event 4 days of talks and I said how many people in Singapore they said about 4 million that means 3, 990,00 people haven't died of s why is it that when we see how many people have got a sickness we forget that most people haven't the chances of you flying and getting swine flu on those days SS were so small compared to sort of just crossing a road or doing the other things we do in life why is it that people just are so afraid of these things that they overreact so when I said that everybody laughed relieved all their tension and we went ahead with our with our um uh program and no one got SARS

## Teaching point

Fear sees only the few who are sick and forgets the many who aren't; keep perspective.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Asked to cancel his Singapore talks at the height of SARS, Ajahn Brahm pointed out that nearly four million Singaporeans hadn't died of it. The room laughed and the fear eased. Take real precautions; public health advice still matters. But fear counts only the few, so remember the many who are fine.

## Source

- [Does Life Suck? | Ajahn Brahm | 1-05-2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSIEN0pZkxE) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 13:59 to 16:12: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSIEN0pZkxE&t=839s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Being Afraid | Ajahn Brahm | 16 March 2018](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 26:12 to 30:11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYHTHj4PGPU&t=1572s
- [Dealing with Fear | Ajahn Brahm | 25 Nov 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymIPqrdbNz8) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 24:56 to 28:26: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymIPqrdbNz8&t=1496s
- [Dealing With Anxiety | Ajahn Brahm | 31 January 2020](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MRPqISIZ3M) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 22:44 to 26:54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MRPqISIZ3M&t=1364s