It is not easy to confine 1.3 billion people inside their homes for 21 days. A few weeks into the pandemic here in India, Coronavirus has taught us a few things.

Some are crystal clear—like, health care workers are fantastic frontline soldiers in this battle and we owe them a huge debt. Second, the policemen and other first-line workers like store employees, deliverymen and women, and the many other essential workers are keeping us going, inspite of their personal risk. However, there is also something more profound that this pandemic and the subsequent lockdown is teaching us- The Meaning of Life!

Human life is a work of art and is the highest expression of nature. A human life—any human life— is infinitely more significant and more important than that of other living organisms. This is measured by one thing: the human spirit, that is only possessed by a human. It is the stage of evolution where they can think about its own thoughts, qualities, feelings and characteristics. This capability is uniquely human- not shared by other species.

It takes years and lives of good deeds to be born as a human being into this world. But as the world grew, and times moved fast, somewhere down the line, we forgot the true meaning of our lives. Paradoxically, the all-consuming COVID-19, which is supposed to be a setback for the world, is working as a blessing in disguise. It has taught everybody in this world the value of life, irrespective of the caste, creed, religion, gender or class. In a single move, it showed the world the importance and significance of every single human life. The next step to this is that this very precious human life has to be protected by all means. In this particular case, the only thing standing between the virus and us is “Social Distancing” which means we have to be self-isolated from others. So we at all times must follow the guidelines given by the WHO and our government.

To further enhance the preciousness of this precious life, we can always help others to grow. Following the fundamentals of “Art of Giving” is the simplest way to reach the highest potential of one’s life.