Alec Parravicini is a 71-year-old retiree from Australia

What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?
To learn to live each day.

What’s most important?
Health, just health. What else do we want?

What advice you would give the younger generations?
Work hard and look after your mother.

Are you worried about dying?
No – why should I be? Everyone has their turn. 

When was the happiest time of your life?
Today is happiest time ever in my life. Because I’m alive; I’m fit; I’m well.

And the worst?
When you lose parents, or something like that, or somebody close to you dies or gets divorced.

What’s humanity all about?
Humanity is about looking after one another.

Why are there so many conflicts in the world?
I don’t know why. People don’t use this (places hand over heart). I don’t know most of the causes but maybe greed and power.

Is a peaceful world possible?
It’s impossible because there are too many different people wanting to be on top of one and another. You like to think it’s possible but I don’t think it can be.

How old do you feel?
21.

Is one lifetime is enough?
You don’t know if it’s going to be one time or not, but it’s enough for me.

How has Bali changed?
A lot. The first time I came here was in 1987 and Seminyak was still quite rural, with ricefields and that. I don’t think the people have changed that much, but they have changed. I think sometimes the Western influences have spoiled Bali, because you have Bali people sort of trying to earn money and sort of trying to be Australian or American or whatever they want to be like – when they should just be who they are.

Has tourism been good for Bali?
Tourism makes Bali alive. Not only just Bali. In any part of the world tourism keeps the economy and life going.

What the major difference between the East and West?
I don’t think there is a great deal of difference. Sometimes we have different ways of thinking but I think we are all much the same. Live our lives. Some of us want to be more successful than others; some people are happy to take life as it is. I think if you ask any Balinese if they want to win the lottery, of course they do – the same goes if you ask any Westerner.

Have you ever doubted your religion?
I do doubt religion. Because sometimes religion doesn’t concern itself with spreading the word of someone up there or down there. Religious people do bad things. You don’t have to have religion to be a good person. I’m sure, because there are a lot of religious people, as symbols of their religion, who do bad things to children.

BT/AE