By Pook Ah Lek, Sin Chew Daily

The coronavirus pandemic has taught us a few things.

The virus is like dust. We can't see it with our naked eyes, but it is all around us.

In the eyes of the virus, humankind is insignificant, humbled and totally powerless. It knows no racial or religious distinctions, nor material wealth, social class, or geographical preferences. 184 nations have fallen victim to it, and ministers, soccer stars, actors and artists have fallen ill, including British prime minister Boris Johnson.

Even a powerful nation like the United States and its arrogant president Donald Trump, have to bow to its authority, albeit a little too late now having missed the best timing to bring the outbreak to control. The US tops the world's list of positive COVID-19 cases. Some 644,089 people fell sick in that country as of April 16, with 28,529 deaths recorded.

The virus has taught us that we must never ever take things for granted. The Olympics to be held every four years has to be postponed; so do wedding ceremonies which have taken months to prepare. Even the very much simplified funerals will not see friends and relatives of the deceased coming in person to bid their final farewells.

For the first time in my life I saw people observing the tomb-sweeping rituals online, while Buddhists attended the Cheng Meng memorial services through video conferencing platforms, and Christians and Catholics had their Good Friday and Easter services online.

Handshakes, hugs and cheek kisses have all become a luxury now because none of these comes more important than keeping our vulnerable lives intact.

The coronavirus has taught us nothing in this world is permanent and that we need to be thankful and appreciate everything we have in possession, including precious moments we spend with our loved ones. We need to learn to be more humble, as their is no "take two" in life.

Life is indeed tough with the virus ready to prowl on us anytime, plus the rigid MCO rules. We should count our blessings we are still alive each morning we wake up to a new day, and can still enjoy quality time with our families. Just think about the frontliners battling the virus at our hospitals, and we should see just how blessed we are and how much more grateful we should be!

The virus has also taught us that during such trying times we must learn to reflect on ourselves and ponder why we cannot live in harmony with Mother Nature. Shouldn't we have a little more respect for Mother Nature instead?

Could it be that all this is not within our control and is arranged by some divine hands?

The virus also taught us that we can no longer do as we wish for our own prosperity and social status. All this will come to pass and only our own health really matters. Our wealth will mean nothing if we don't have a healthy body. As such, we should not just pursue material goods, but health and peace.

We suddenly come to the realization during the MCO that many underprivileged communities have been excluded from the government's aid list, including single-parent families, casual workers, homeless people, orphanages and old folks' homes, among others. They, too, are waiting for help from some good Samaritans!

During such a critical period of time, it is heart-warming to see that many have held out their hands to help the needy. Have we learned to hold out a hand within our respective capabilities so that the less fortunate in our midst get to be fed as well?

Yayasan Sin Chew has paired up with Fo Guang Shan International Association Malaysia Chapter to raise funds to acquire protective equipment and medical supplies desperately needed by our frontline healthcare personnel, while Tzu Chi Foundation is doing its part in a different way.

Frontline medical personnel must be adequately protected in their uphill mission of combating the heinous virus. We don't want to see what happened to China's whistleblowing ophthalmologist Dr Li Wenliang to happen here in Malaysia, even though he was posthumously named a martyr.

Sin Chew Daily's "Warm Power" section has been filled with heart-warming stories ever since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. We can see that love still abounds where the virus has ravaged tremendous havoc to human race.

The virus has not only turned our daily lives upside down but has also dealt an enormous blow on businesses. Many business owners suffer heavily, some having to wind up early while others struggling to stay afloat.

It is almost certain that our world will no longer be the same again after all this has come to a pass. Our daily routines have changed, and gatherings will no longer be encouraged. It will become a new normal for people across the world to put on face masks, wash their hands diligently and practice social distancing protocol.

The virus has taught us that even though we don't assemble in groups, we can still do many things online, such as online transactions, online learning, video conferencing, online religious services…

Will people-to-people relationships thin out over time? And for how long more will physical stores get to survive?

I will only think about all this much later. Meanwhile, I will do my part to just #StayAtHome!