The 5 Things We Have Learned From This Pandemic
They have nothing to do with science
We are all struggling to maintain our mental wellness in these tough times. Some of us are struggling to stay alone for days, or simply not feeling indolent while not working. On the other hand, we are all having the priceless time we have been longing for to reflect upon our past, present, and future; the time to digest our mistakes and good deeds with their underlying consequences. On a personal note, my only concern at the moment is to wake up after all this ends and find that everyone forgot about what we have been through; forgot about the 5 important headlines that we have learned during this pandemic.
Working from home turned out to be a breeze
In the 21st century, businesses have become more about the looks than the content. A fancy high-end luxurious space, the latest pieces of technology and gadgets, a “break the bank” expensive security system or firewall to keep all those fishers and hackers locked out, in addition to tailored outfits have become the basis of a wanna-be successful company. During this lock-down, we have learned that all of the above is not essential. We started working with what we have, like a laptop, a printer and maybe a scanner. We managed. A few days later we adopted the new process and some of us even loved it. Here, I shall say that all of us should be responsible enough to get through with our tasks; we should set our tasks correctly and give each task its sufficient time. Believe me when I say, you cannot imagine the benefits coming the employers’ way from this obligatory process we are going through.
Powerful countries are not as powerful as we thought
At least for the last century, we have been routing for the masters of the world; the developed countries which we should all follow with their fine regulations, beautifully engineered architecture and infrastructures, advanced academic curriculum, and of course, their almost perfected healthcare systems. Wait, did I just say that? I guess I did. It is just an old bad habit, because while trying so hard not to throw any shade on any of these majestic governments and political bodies, we are gutted by the unfortunate events taking place in those countries and the massive number of deaths happening daily. I even feel dejected to write about it, so, I will just stop here by saying that they should be ashamed to value money and power over humanity, and that they should learn one thing or two from their fellow developing countries. The time will come when we realize that nothing on this Earth will ever be more valuable than human life. I am just afraid that when this time comes, it will be too late for us to crave redemption.
We better start valuing the preciousness of the healthcare personnel
In most countries, nurses and laboratory technicians are on the minimum wages, and in some countries, they are mostly expatriates, living away from their families, hustling, and working so hard to make somewhat of a living. I experienced this myself after I graduated with a degree in “Clinical Laboratory Sciences” when I was completely taken aback by the constant underestimation in this sector; eventually, I moved out and started my career in sales and marketing. Millions of dollars are spent every day to put on events for entertainment, be it sports, performances from world-class celebrities, or artists. Well, guess what? These celebrities are helpless on lock-down like all of us. The so-called influencers turned out to be regular people that stopped influencing. Fashionistas, models, or whatever they are called now have nothing to showcase but their misery and maybe their pajamas. Do not get me wrong as I still sing along to my favorite jam, but it is time we wake up and realize the true value of people and what they do. I salute all of those working in hospitals and medical facilities to make sure the rest of the world stays safe and well.
Simple hygiene could have spared us the headache
A couple of days ago a dear friend of mine told me, in response to all the extreme hygienic measures she is constantly taking, that she is not being paranoid about this pandemic, but the fact that all the news and the promoted measures and details leaked about the virus made her rewind and think about all the other infectious organisms that we have had for many years now and how they could affect our immune system, while not causing deadly symptoms and life-threatening conditions, but definitely causing a disturbance for our well-being. Back then I thought to myself “What would have been if we were taking the simplest hygienic measures we are taking now like washing our hands for 20 seconds whenever we enter our homes, or even just disinfecting the stuff we buy from any store?”. Could we have possibly stopped the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)? Probably not, but we would have surely restricted the widespreadness we are currently facing.
In such downtime, the media is not your go-to getaway
By now, we have all become quite aware of the guidelines to protect ourselves and others during this pandemic. Rest assured that there is nothing more you can do, and you are actually doing quite well if you are following all the suggested steps. My advice is to stay off the media. I have seen nothing but negativity over the news like death tolls, the rising number of the infected patients, the scarcity of supplies and essential materials in hospitals, the breakdown of huge powerful countries and companies, all the sad stories of people who lost their jobs and their loved ones or even their own lives, in addition to all the spurious speculations and expectations about the virus that served the only purpose of bringing us down. If you want to know any information related to this pandemic go to either the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It is unfortunate that we have come to forget all the above, and that such an ill-omened pandemic served as a wake-up call. I hope all of this ends soon and we can finally go back to our daily lives and start enjoying the simplest things that we have taken for granted for so long, like sipping our coffee on the beach, spending some quality time with our beloved ones, or just cooperating and being productive with our co-workers. I hope you won’t forget the above.
“Stay home, stay safe, and most importantly, stay in distanced contact with all the things that matter the most.”
