9 Life Lessons We Can Learn From the Coronavirus pandemic
A pandemic of this magnitude has been said to occur once in a century. COVID-19 will fill up history books and will be discussed for generations to come. It’s effects overwhelming, with over 1 million deaths worldwide. According to World Bank economic forecasts, this will be the worst economic recession since the second world war.
In most countries, dealing with a health crisis of this magnitude uncovers weak spots in governance, health system and devastating division among sectors.
While waiting for this to all just be over so we can get back to our normal lives, lets take a few minutes to think:
What can we as a humanity gain from this crisis? What can we learn for our personal lives as well?
1) A chance to rethink what really matters to us
This crisis gives us a chance to think about what really matters to us in life? Family, friends, health, life purpose. How are we prioritizing our time with these things?
Also in our career life- How much are we missing it in times of quarantine? Did you get fired and need to reinvent yourself?
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. We always need to develop our skills and talents. Having versatile side gigs and interests enables us to fall back on them in times of crisis or other unexpected events.
2) We are responsible for our own children’s education
My husband’s grandmother says she doesn’t understand parents today: They have children, then send them right off to preschool at a few months old to be raised by someone else? In some way, she’s right.
The truth is we are not used to watching/educating our own kids full time. With the coronavirus, we have no choice but to take a more active role. More time is spent playing with and teaching our children. Although improvements can be made, I am a big believer in schools and professional teachers. However, we can’t expect teachers to raise our kids for us. Teachers and education systems can help us out, but not replace us.
3) Focus on spirituality
This crisis gets us thinking, what is this world all about? What is it all for? Leaning in to our religion and faith. What is the purpose of the world?
As a religious jew, I believe everything happens for a reason. There is a heavenly plan and an ultimate destination. When my forefathers suffered a calamity, they always looked to heaven for answers. What is the message heaven is sending us? On a personal level, what is the message to me? What can I learn? How can I improve?
4) Improving Online Markets and Delivery Services
While many retail companies and restaurants are challenging to even survive, online food and delivery have flourished. Supermarket deliveries have gone up as well, possibly changing forever the way most of us grocery shop.
Businesses who want to survive and flourish, are quickly transitioning and expanding their businesses to the e-commerce environment.
While these digital transformation trends already existed before, they have been greatly accelerated by COVID-19.
5) Importance of our mental health
I don’t think there are many (or any?) people for whom covid-19 did not influence their emotional state negatively at one point or another. Loneliness, depression and domestic violence are common. Many bloggers, writers, public speakers and actors opened up on their negative emotional state. We are much more aware of how important mental health is.
Quarantines emphasize how important it is to exercise, and how important exercise is to our mental health. We are responsible for our own exercise, especially if gyms are closed/we are in quarantine and can only work out by ourselves at home.
6) Ability and flexibility to work remotely
With COVID-19, many companies had no choice but to adopt remote working to some extent. Companies who had never before enabled remote working, adopted this change. Employees learned that their jobs, or at least a certain percent of it, is possible to do from home.
The benefits include saving office space money and less commuting. The negatives can be- loneliness and harder cooperation.
To what extent remote working will be the new norm? According to many analysis’s, definitely to some extent. Time will tell.
7) Humanity is One
Human kind have a special unity focused on defeating this pandemic. Researchers from all across the world are working jointly on finding a vaccine and other solutions to the virus.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend” ~famous proverb
The virus doesn’t differentiate between males,females, religion or color. It doesn’t differentiate between countries or geographic areas. We are all bound together.
8) Your nuclear family is very important
You inner circles mean a lot, as they have the most impact on your daily life, especially during a pandemic/quarantine. Who is your nuclear family? Which local community have you chosen for yourself? If you have yet to create a nuclear family, what kind of family would you like creating?
9) Appreciating what we have
After COVID-19 is behind us, we won’t be able to take simple things for granted anymore, such as -
- Going out to a restaurant
- Hugging our parents
- Hugging our grandchildren
- Going to work at an office
- Shopping in a mall
- Going to a Movie
Even today, in the midst of the pandemic, lets count our blessings. Do you have a life partner? Children? Your health? A job? A house?
