5 Positive Life Lessons That You Can Learn From the Coronavirus Pandemic

There is no rainbow without the rain. And after rain comes sunshine.

Corona. Corona. Corona. It’s on everyone’s lips. I don’t blame them. Either you are sick already, or you are afraid you will be.

Even if you are part of the group who isn’t afraid of an infection, the whole thing still sucks donkey balls.

Not to sound cool, but I don’t give a damn about catching the virus. I’m in my mid-20s with a more than healthy body and a well-trained immune system, so I’m not worried about myself at all.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t worry about other things, though. I worry about infecting others without knowing it. My grandparents are fragile already and confined to their home because they likely wouldn’t survive an infection. I won’t be able to visit my grandma for her birthday for the same reason. Exam dates have been shifted (goodbye summer holidays), the world economy is taking hits of the same magnitude as the 2008 financial crisis, and, worst of all, all the gyms have closed down here in Germany. No gym workout for four weeks at least.

But instead of adding to the general panic and freaking out about every tiny bit of (fake) news you get, I sat down and thought long and hard about what we can learn from the whole thing.

Maybe it’s my diehard optimism. Perhaps it’s my relentless will to learn or my inability to give up. Whatever it is, I think that there is something positive in every situation, even if it’s as detrimental as a world-wide virus outbreak.

And right now, some positivity is precisely what we need — so let me take your hand and show you what life can teach us, if only we are willing to learn.

Humanity is Reminded Of its Place

We humans have come far. From stick-wielding apes over the cultivation of farmland and utilization of steam-powered engines to stock-trading algorithms, self-driving cars and life-altering medicine.

We have labelled ourselves the crown of creation. With the domestication of animals, flights to the moon, and genetic modifications, we see ourselves as the immortal kings of the earth and (soon to be) conquerors of the universe.

In reality, we are nothing but a speck of dust in the whole endless universe. And if things go wrong, we can be wiped out quicker than you can spell Covid-19. Gamma-ray bursts, large asteroids colliding with earth, or the eruption of the Yellowstone National Park volcano could all do some severe damage to humankind.

So, honestly, a little virus running amok isn’t exactly the worst thing that could happen. However, it reminds us of who we are. It teaches us humility and that everything will come to an end. And by doing so, it teaches us to be grateful for all the moments we have and all the things we can enjoy.

When Gary Vee was asked to give three words of inspiration, he simply said:

“You will die.”

Sometimes, we need to be reminded of how good we have it. We need to be told that we have been given a gift called life and that we should appreciate it. So instead of worrying about the little things and contemplating your life because you still can’t afford that Porsche, understand what you have. Give someone you love a call. Pet your dog. Enjoy the sunshine. Smell a flower. It could all be over tomorrow.

When Everyone is Running, it’s Time to Slow Down

I was supposed to hold a seminar in two weeks. I have been looking forward to it for a long time and put a lot of time and effort into its preparation. When it got cancelled, my first reaction was to get angry about it. Stupid virus, I thought. How dare you get in the way of me achieving my dreams? But then, I began to see the beauty of it.

Thanks to corona, you’ll have a lot of free time. Bars and nightclubs close down, offices send home anyone who does as much as coughing one too many times and most of your appointments are likely to be cancelled.

In my opinion, that’s a beautiful thing. Have you complained about being stressed out? Have you been running from errand to errand, from meeting to meeting, from appointment to appointment? Have you wished for some time to breathe, slow down and recharge?

Well, here’s your chance. You can’t do anything about the shutdown, so you might as well take the opportunity. Sit down. Relax. Breathe. Give yourself some time to slow down and think.

I bet there are a million things you “always wanted to do.” Reading a book, learning how to juggle or whistle through your fingers. Taking a long stroll through the woods and thinking about your life. Calling someone you haven’t in a long time.

Whatever it is for you, here’s your chance. Take it.

Sharing is Caring

In a lot of countries (Germany included), people have turned towards hoarding and panic buying. I’ve seen people buy two months’ worth of pasta and toilet paper in a single shopping binge. Jesus. Not only are you going to be sick and tired of pasta after about two weeks, but you also cause some major stress for others when they don’t have access to essentials anymore. And don’t even get me started on stealing and hoarding hand sanitizers or other medical items.

In times like these, solidarity is more important than ever. My neighbours have been running low on toilet paper for a while. The first thing I did when I spotted some in a little not-so-well-known shop around the corner was to buy it for them. And of course, they reciprocated the favour with some food.

We have a very caring and sharing community amongst us, and it’s incredible to see how in times like these people hold together.

We humans, on our own, are fragile. Our strength comes from our numbers and our community. We are social animals, and we shouldn’t forget that.

Sharing is a wonderful thing. It makes you and the person you share with happy. Because what good is a full belly if you can’t celebrate it with others?

‘Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.’— Brian Tracy

This coronavirus situation is a golden opportunity to practice altruism. I don’t ask you to give away the shirt off your back, but just do what you can. You’ll be surprised how a thing as mundane as giving away some rolls of toilet paper can make someone’s day.

Let the Planet Breathe

Although I don’t think that the corona outbreak is something we should be celebrating, there is one unexpected beneficiary: Planet Earth.

Major Chinese cities, such as Hongkong, register drops in air pollution of up to a third. Forbes Magazine estimates that the incident saved more than 77,000 lives. Satellite images of Italy show a drastic reduction in air pollutants as well.

I don’t believe in any God, an almighty entity, a higher meaning of life or destiny itself. So I definitely won’t go as far as saying that this whole thing was brought upon us by a higher force or as a retaliation for what we have done to the planet.

But it’s a pure irony of fate that a country that is responsible for a large part of our environmental issues and pollution gets hit first and hard.

It’s a not-so-friendly reminder that we have been pushing on for too long without drawing severe enough consequences from the warning signs that have been given, such as climate change, melting icecaps and the weather running amok with an increasing number of hurricanes and thunderstorms.

When this is over, growth will ensue just as quickly as everything came to a halt. The earth will keep turning and life will pick up again.

The question is if, by then, we will have learned our lesson. Be nice to Mother Earth, and she will be kind to you.

Look For the Positive

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.” — Alphonse Karr

If you take away just one thing from the Covid-19 incident and this post, let it be this. In every situation, no matter how negative it is, you can always find a spark of light. And this is also the case here. Being reminded to be grateful for what you have, being able to slow down, experiencing joy from sharing with the ones you love or letting the planet we live on rest and recover for a bit.

Life is what you make of it. If you solely focus on the negative, that’s all you’ll ever see. But if you care to look beyond that, you’ll find the golden nuggets hidden away in the mud.

There is no rainbow without the rain. And after rain comes sunshine.

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