The coronavirus, or more accurately Covid-19, has imparted some valuable lessons to us as people, societies, governments and countries. The ordeal has reminded us of our ability to benefit from harsh lessons, this is what distinguishes us as human beings. We draw lessons from the past and monitor the present to chart a better future.
We were astonished by the Chinese, American, and European development in technology, industry, space, etc., but a very small virus appeared, shuffling the cards and turning the world upside down, paralysing the economy and movement around the world, tossing all plans for economic recovery in the wind, and dreams of growth have fallen by the wayside.
It is the power of God over us as human beings, which is manifested in everything that surrounds us and in ourselves. We fear the virus in almost the same way as the caveman feared prehistoric predators. Even if we humans believe that we have the power and the keys of knowledge and technology, God Almighty tells us in the Holy Quran that “little is the knowledge thereof that you have been given.”
There is no doubt that man has been able to achieve tremendous scientific achievements, and in the field of medicine and health there have been revolutions in areas such as stem cell therapy, genomics, personalised medicine, etc., but it seems that each time we reach higher we face different challenges.
Governments’ actions around the world to prevent the spread of this virus among its citizens, residents and visitors is a very important issue that deserves to be documented. When the virus appeared in China and even when it spread to countries like South Korea, we thought that we are out of danger in Bahrain and the Arabian Gulf, until we were shocked with the news about the discovery of the first coronavirus infections in Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq at the same time immediately after the arrival of citizens who were visiting Iran.
It may have been good fortune for humankind that the coronavirus appeared in a country like China and not in a country like Indonesia, Bangladesh, Venezuela or Nigeria, countries with weak capabilities. As for China, it has proven its ability to control this virus, and the number of new infections has begun to fall, what appeared to the world as the fine ray of light at the end of the tunnel.
From this ordeal we also learned that many people do not care about their health, do not listen to general advice related to general hygiene, such as avoiding contact with patients and the importance of proper food and adequate sleep, and exercise. Then along comes the coronavirus to alert people to the importance of strengthening their immunity by following a healthy lifestyle, and that a healthy body promotes a healthy mind.
The severe economic hardship that the world is going through as a result of the devastating impact of coronavirus on the economy, alerts us that we should save for rainy days, on a personal level and at the level of the family, institutions, companies and governments as well. The culture of saving and rationalising expenditure must be a daily approach in all of our lives.
I am sure that humans will ultimately overcome the coronavirus, but viruses, tribulations, hardships, disputes and wars will not disappear entirely from the world; they will return to us from time to time according to scenarios and lifestyles that we may find difficult to give up. What is important now, is that we have learnt the lesson well, that our world is a small intertwined village, we should live together like siblings or we shall all perish like fools.
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