Lessons from COVID-19

By Raja Faheem Shoukat Dhirkot, Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Sometimes painful things teach us lessons that we didn’t think we need to learn. Reminding us of the important things in life that we seem to have forgotten,

. It is reminding us that we are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, profession, financial situation and how famous we are. 

. It is reminding us that we are all connected and something that affects one person, can affect another.

· It is reminding us that the false borders that we have put up have little value as this virus does not need a passport. 

· It is reminding us of the shortness of life and of what is most important for us to do, which is to help each other, especially those who are old or sick. 

· It is reminding us of how materialistic our society has become and how, when in the times of difficulty, we remember that it’s the essentials that we need to survive as opposed to the luxuries. 

· It is reminding us of how important our family and home is and how much we have neglected it.

· It is reminding us that our true job is not the work we do. It is to look after each other, to protect each other and to be of benefit to one another. 

· It is reminding us to keep our egos in check. It is reminding us that no matter how great we think we are or how great others think we are, a virus can bring our world to a standstill. 

· It is reminding us that we can choose to co-operate, to share and to support each other or we can choose to be selfish, to hoard, to look after only yourself. Indeed, it is the hardships that bring out our true colors. 

· It is reminding us that we can either be patient or we can panic. We can either understand that this is the kind of situation that has happened many times before in history and we can get through it, or we can take it as the end of the world. 

· It is reminding us that the entire planet Earth is our home and it is sick. That we need to look at the rate of deforestation just as urgently as we look at the speed at which the toilet rolls are disappearing off the shelves. 

· It is reminding us that after every difficulty there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. So, this too shall pass.