Three moments of Truth...early lessons from Coronavirus

As the Coronavirus envelopes the world in its relentless embrace, we may all feel that our center of gravity is hurtling towards the unknown. Countries and authorities are still responding to the runaway crisis with health and safety interventions, social restrictions, and some economic quick-fixes to stem the immediate consequences. Reactions range from bravado to fatalism, to heroism. One cannot but feel for those among us who have taken ill or those who have tragically fallen prey to the virus. The frontline responders are working non-stop, often putting themselves in harm's way. Organizations and people are reaching out to each other in compassionate ways. Here are some great stories I am hearing:

• My friend's daughter, a nurse, has not come home for the last few days, working 24-hour shifts to help in testing and taking care of the sick.
• One individual posted a note outside his apartment door, offering help ("just knock at the door") to buy groceries and take care of the vulnerable. He even offered to provide collateral if people are scared that he will run away with the money!
• People in Italy are singing from their apartments to keep themselves motivated and happy in times like this.
• Grubhub has deferred commission fees to help restaurants, Google has created a fund to pay contractors and temporary workers.
• Many of my friends are passing on inspiring quotes and poems.
• I am personally getting calls from friends who are wondering how I am doing (I am on the cusp of being classified high risk!) and if we need any help!

I am sure each of us has such stories. We are going through a defining experience that perhaps will reshape our lives forever. Whatever happens at the end of it, I feel that there are three lessons that we can walk away with right now:

• This is a moment of humility: This is the time you realize how fragile and powerless we are as humans in the face of nature! No rich, no poor, no developed, no developing countries, no race or color has been spared. It's nature's way of putting us in our place.
• This is a moment of humanity: Strangely, there is an appreciation that we are all one and interdependent on each other. This brings with it a sense of compassion, of empathy, of wanting to be of service. The only antidote we have for this virus is each other- that's it. No medicine, no vaccine, no ammunition, no nothing! Instead, how we behave with each other- to help (positive) or to spread (harmful) are the only tools we have. Our right behavior and actions are the only medicines we have so far!
• This is a moment of hunger: It is the time when people have to stop and to ask and reflect on deeper issues of life. Questions on what does family and relationships mean to each of us, what's the real purpose of life and living, how can we draw on the inner compass of life to be resilient through the crisis, and so on.

We have been forced to get off the hamster wheel and reflect on what it is to be human, to be vulnerable, to grow individually, yet care for the collective. There is no time for upmanship; however, there is an opportunity for stewardship to help others in our community. There is no time for greed, but there is time for generosity. There is no time for vanity; there is a lot of time for virtues and values. There is no time for differences; there is only time for connections. There is no joy in the relentless race for 'more,' only pleasure in the discovery of 'meaning.'

In this moment of adversity, perhaps there is also a moment of hope: that humankind comes out more connected and more resilient. And wiser!

Maybe this is the moment we re-humanize.

What inspiring stories, quotes, thoughts can you share from what you have seen, experienced, or participated in?