What Lessons Can Be Learnt From This Pandemic

Live one day at a time and do what you are doing to the best of your ability.

The last time this pandemic happened was a century ago. Only a handful of people who witnessed that chaotic scene is likely to be still alive, and even for the, they were likely to be toddlers at that time. Our present generation only saw it in documentaries and read it in books and scientific journals about that harrowing event. It didn’t really have a tumultuous effect on us because we didn’t feel it.

After more than a hundred years, we have been confronted with a similar situation and this time, we can feel the discomfort and sorrowful times our forefathers went through.

People have lost loved ones, friends, family and many more. It’s like the wind that has swept across the earth and left no stone unturned in its quest to destroy things. We are devastated. We are depressed. People fought for their lives with the last breath they could, but as our elders say, “what death holds; life cannot take it back”.

Many economies have gone through massive downturns even more disturbing than the 2008 Great Financial Crisis (GFC).

Here are the 5 lessons I’ve learnt:

1. Investment

What I again learned from this pandemic is that investment is crucial. A lot of people lost their jobs: some were furloughed, others became redundant, others were dismissed.

Those who made the hay while the sun shone are reaping from their labour. You can invest in stocks, bonds and other investment portfolios and also develop a habit of saving.

The pandemic has taught us new possibilities and new ways of doing things. We need to upgrade our skills, be financially literate and innovative and creative.

2. Stay healthy

Adopting a healthy lifestyle is non-negotiable. You have to look after yourself very well. You need to exercise and eat healthy food. Most of the victims who succumbed to the virus were mostly those who had a weak immune system, as most of the experts say. As the old aphorism goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.

We need to ensure that whatever we do, we need to take care of our bodies. A regular medical check-up is necessary. The body is like a car or any other machine that needs maintenance and servicing all the time to keep it strong and fit.

3. Life is only lived once

Life is full of ups and downs. Don’t withhold your present enjoyment to the future which is unknown. You need to be in the moment while you plan for the future.

Don’t worry too much about the future when you haven’t fulfilled the present needs. Those who had big plans for the future and decided to not enjoy their moment, all of a sudden, death knocked at their doors and took them away surreptitiously.

What becomes of their plans?

You have to think and dream big, but don’t sacrifice the present for the future. Live one day at a time and do what you are doing to the best of your ability and when one day you’re no more, you’d be remembered for that gesture.

4. Be kind

Don’t withhold what you want to do for someone to a later date when you have the means to do so. You might never see the person again.

However, if people decide to assist you, don’t take people’s kindness for granted because they are also going through their own battles. They have just foregrounded theirs and they are responding to yours.

Don’t think that they are superhumans, but they’ve only tamed that insatiable tongue of always talking about their issues just to offer a helping hand to others. Everyone goes through situations differently.

5. Believe in something

A lot of people say that they don’t believe in anything and we aren’t controlled by any external power. Yes, you may think that way but just pause a minute and think about where you came from at birth. Where were you? Do you think you just came from nowhere? You definitely came from somewhere. That’s the same way when you die too, you will go somewhere. Have a deep introspection and retrospection about this!

The world, as you see it, didn’t just exist but there is a power behind it. I don’t really care about what you believe in, but you should believe that there’s a creator who created the universe and everything therein.

Final thoughts

The pandemic has destabilised economies and sent our loved ones to the early grave, nevertheless, it has also opened a window of opportunities for us to be resilient in the midst of disorder to have multiple streams of income and to be there for one another, and more importantly, to check our lifestyle habits.