3 Things Coronavirus Has Taught The World
Coronavirus. Covid-19. Global pandemic. Needless to say, 2020 has been one crazy year. Covid-19 has largely taken the world by surprise. Without a doubt, there are three lessons that are visible in this invisible pathogen.
1.We are not invincible.
Did anyone think that 2020 would be dominated by this tiny molecule, whose name was not known until a year ago? Did we imagine that corporations would be jeopardised, schools would be closed and hospitals would be overwhelmed with patients?
Many have contracted this illness, some developed complications and didn’t survive, some recovered and some are still plagued by it’s consequences. There are wealthy people, whose money could not destroy the virus. There are destitute people who live in fear of threats greater than Covid-19. There are elderly people who fought off the infection. There are young people who lost their lives to the virus. There are people who hardly left their homes but still got sick. There are people who mingled with dozens but still haven’t caught it yet. There are world leaders who contracted the illness. There are common folk who have not contracted it. There are people with top qualifications who have lost jobs. There are people with little education who are still employed. There are people who lost their homes. There are people who lost their loved ones.
There are so many different permutations. We cannot claim we are invincible. Covid-19 has got many of us thinking, it’s been a reminder to think deeper into life. We have to think beyond ‘me’. Take care of your needs and remember those around you. Extend your hand to the less fortunate. Be appreciative of all that you have. We need to be humble and remember that we aren’t invincible. We’re only human.
2.Slow down a little.
For those doing the 9–5 or the school run, those serving customer after customer in busy restaurants, those taking multiple flights every month, life was hectic, wasn’t it? Every cloud has a silver lining. Covid-19 came to crash our many plans, for better and worse. People have mixed emotions. Some of us may have enjoyed the change for once. No waking extra early, no morning traffic jams, no busy commutes back home and not having to repeat that for the next five days. It’s been a blessing in disguise for many. I mean, who doesn’t dream of sleeping in, waking up 10 minutes before work and ploughing through your duties in pyjamas with no colleagues to judge you? Working from home gave many a taste of what stay-at-home mums deal with; noisy, hungry, crying children, frequent trips to the kitchen, bowls of laundry, sink-loads of dishes and half-a-dozen other things to manage, while trying to answer a phone call. The busy mum may have gotten even busier at home, although she may have had more helping hands. The pilot may have had little work and fewer flights, but he sure caught up on sleep.
Covid-19 prompted us to consider others around us. Perhaps it invited us to call that relative we haven’t spoken to in decades, to check in on an old friend or to apologise to whoever we weren’t on great terms with. For those who had reduced hours at work, perhaps it has been a time for self-reflection, self-improvement and self-love.
For many it has been a time to reach out for help. Think, mental health. The loneliness of solitude, the lack of human interaction, the lack of touch and lack of routine, all of these have been consequences of lockdowns, movement restrictions and social distancing measures.
Perhaps it has been a time for us to take better care of our health- physical, mental and spiritual. Perhaps it’s been an opportunity to reach out to kin, to make new friendships, or time to recharge.
Covid-19 prompted the survival mode in us. We have realised it’s probably time to quit the rat race because there’s more to life than money, fame, status and beauty. Have it if you want, but don’t let it divert you from the deeper things in life because it’s only going to last so long.
3.You can only plan so much.
2020 has been a year of cancellations, a year of uncertainty, a year of disorganisation. We’ve been forced to rethink our priorities, to make adjustments and to choose the essentials. It has affected individuals, families, communities, businesses, relationships, holidays, celebrations, funerals and other communal events. The healthcare systems of many nations have been strained. This was unprecedented. It has affected the economy and finances of multiple companies. Others have largely benefitted from the boom in business and sales, you know, because we live in a largely electronic world now.
We can fill out our schedules and we can plan for next month, yet we can’t guarantee that it will go as planned, that it will happen when we want it or that it will give us the desired results. However, we have to be optimistic, we have to prepare and we have to make a way. We can only do what is humanly possible to prevent the harm, take every measure possible and ultimately, place our trust in The Most High.
