The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many people’s ordinary lives to a halt for most of 2020, but musician, artist, media figure, and spiritual mentor Lai Peixia has continued working at a relentless pace. Just this year, she completed a PhD, published Nonviolent Communication for Beginners, and started her own YouTube channel. She also founded a workshop and a society for nonviolent communication, and completed a leadership course with Harvard University’s Kennedy School. “I usually only promise myself to do one thing out of the ordinary per year, but I really did get through a lot in 2020,” says Lai. Even with the pandemic and losing someone close to her, she didn’t spend time fretting. “It woke me up and made me think on what legacy we leave behind in this world. It spurred me to hurry up and do the things that are important to me.
“The pandemic is an opportunity. It’s a time in which we can look inward, sort out our lives, take full responsibility for ourselves and reprioritize the things that are most important to us.”
Lai, who did her graduate work in international relations, wrote her PhD thesis on Taiwanese perspectives on America. The work compelled her to focus on current events in both Taiwan and the US. But since the start of the pandemic we have seen a flood of fake news, abuse, finger pointing and attacks in the international arena. Amid the reams of malicious propaganda and confrontational communication, she reminds us, “Communicate well and spread good karma. When we do, other people will support our dreams. When we also support other people’s dreams, we create a virtuous circle that makes us appreciate our life and feel no regrets at its end.”