Normalcy Bias
A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. As true as it may be, it is ironic for many that the first step is most difficult. In most cases, it is normalcy bias that stops them from doing it.
What is normalcy bias? From Wikipedia, it is a cognitive bias that causes people to underestimate, disregard, or deny the likelihood and severity of a disaster, crisis, or disruptive event.
False Security: People assume that because something bad has never happened before, it will not happen now.
Routine Preference: The brain relies on past experiences and familiar patterns, expecting life to continue as normal even when faced with warning signs.
Underreaction: Individuals minimize threats, delay preparations, or refuse to evacuate during emergencies.
Does normalcy bias has any relevance to Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visa? It does, in fact, a lot. The world is in a big social and financial mess. The entire western developed world and many countries have inflation that is beyond control. There are riots and protests; it is not safe. Governments are paralyzed and society is too polarized to function properly. Citizens are being sidelined. The social contract is broken, and it cannot be mended.
Malaysia is a safe harbour. There are no riots and inflation is under control. There are enough resources like energy and water for its residents. Food sufficiency is not perfect but reasonably good. Population density is low too. There are no forced ideologies nor are there any massive influx of migrants. Malaysia is not a surveillance state and financialization is non-existent. Common sense still prevails here. It is a better place to stay while weathering the storm that hits the rest of the world.
Ask yourself: “Will the future be better or worse for me?”, “Will the taxes become ridiculous?”, “Will my country become a police state?” and the last one shall be “When should I move away from this mess?”
That is where normalcy bias hits. I was always reminded of this phrase that is valid in Malaysia – “buy medical insurance when you are healthy because when you are not, you cannot buy”.
History is replete with examples where it is always better to be one minute too early than one second too late. Titanic, Germany in the 1930s and the 1998 riots in Indonesia are some of the examples.
We know a few Indonesians who had planned; they bought apartments or houses in Malaysia, set up bank accounts, and stayed in Malaysia whenever possible. Some can see that a large gulf between the rich and the poor was a ticking timebomb (Gini coefficient). So, when the racial riots of Indonesia started in 1998, they just fled the country and seek refuge in Malaysia. They told us stories about how their family members and friends died in the riots. There were signs that something was not right, but they just chose to ignore them. Normalcy bias.
Should you stay where you are and not move away from the mess? If you are financially strong and can stay outside of your home country for long periods of time, why do you even want to take the risk? In a state of emergency, riots or a complete paralysis of government, it is impossible to assemble the documents required for the MM2H visa. The visa must be obtained before anything serious happens.
The world has entered a stage where it is impossible to return to its previous state. Much as people like to imagine they can still go back to the good old days, I personally believe that is just a delusion. Look around, is there a chance that the situation surrounding you will get better in future?
The world has changed and one should be prepared to take actions that will make his/her life more fulfilling and meaningful, especially for those with families. Check out the interview between Keith Hockton and myself. It is an enlightening series of videos on MM2H:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLlxmlbEHIYztxv0J7xdJW6sg_M1twmnv In this 11-part series, TG compares the Malaysia and the western civilization:
