COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophic for humanity. We recognise that at the same time there are positive reflections which we need to interpret in real order. This is a new world order. Everything is transformational in terms of economies, finance, environment and society at large. We have to understand that we have a commitment to make at this point, being conscious as a human being. Where the vision is one year cultivate flowers, where the vision is 10 years cultivate trees, where the vision is eternity cultivate people. Our greatest recession can bring greatest prosperity.

We need to build human consciousness here. Rich or poor, individual or institutions, countries or continents, we are all global citizens. That is the feel we should have. Our values systems is not changing. This is the time to internally drive and also introspect our consciousness. We have to internally drive during these challenging times. Old values still holds good. Our heritage, culture, civilization has true profound meaning for us to realize we need to get back to basics. According to Hellen Keller “the best and worst few things cannot be seen or touched it can be felt in the heart.” This invisible Coronavirus is one of them.

The pandemic COVID-19 has exposed fundamental weaknesses in our global system. It has shown how the prevalence of poverty, weak health systems, lack of education, and a lack of global cooperation exacerbate the crisis. The crisis has re-enforced the interdependence of our world. It has brought to the fore the urgent need for global action to meet people’s basic needs, to save our planet and to build a fairer and resilient world. According to Jannette cole, “We cannot help ourselves without helping others, we cannot enrich our lives without enriching others and we cannot prosper without bringing prosperity to others.” We face common, global challenges that we must solve through common, global solutions. After all, in a crisis like this we are only as strong as the weakest link. This is what the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global blueprint to end poverty, protect our planet and ensure prosperity, are all about. We must all support the call by the United Nations to scale up the immediate health response to suppress the transmission of the virus, end the pandemic and focus on people particularly, women, youth, low-wage workers, small and medium enterprises, the informal sector and vulnerable groups already at risk. According to John F Kennedy, “Our task is not to fix the blame for the past but to fix the course for the future.” Working together we can save lives, restore livelihoods and bring the global economy back on track. Elimination of extreme poverty, create better world and being a better citizenship to this world are some of the key priorities which need to focus. We have to respect gender equality. We also have to recognize healthcare is important, maternal health is important. According to George Washington Carver,” To be a better person, resolve to be tender with young, compassionate with aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of weak and wrong. Sometimes in our lives we would have been all of these.” We have to respect the elderly. We need to have clean water and air and better sanitization facilities.

Satellite images showing dramatic drops in air pollution in coronavirus hotspots around the globe due to COVID-19, offering a silver lining to an otherwise very dark story. But they are also a graphic reminder of the climate crisis that will continue when the pandemic passes. When the lockdowns are lifted and life returns to what it once was, so too will the pollution that clouds the skies and with it the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming. Global warming and climate change are not ordinary issues. These are extraordinary issues shaking up the world. We need to create Carbon neutral society. We have to reduce the carbon emission. Unless we bring in peace and justice to individuals and institutions, society at large world will not be peaceful.

Countries such as Italy, USA are coming up with plans to ease coronavirus lockdown and restart country. Spain has allowed partial returns to work this week but Britain, France extended lockdowns. According to William James, “The greatest discovery of this generation is that human beings can alter the lives by altering their attitude of minds”. That is what is called for during COVID-19. Our heart and mind has to be conscious of the fact, when there is righteousness in your heart, there is beauty in your character. When there is beauty in your character, there is harmony in your home. When there is harmony in your home, there is order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world. That is the key message we are learning from COVID-19 crisis. Today irrespective of the fact whether you are rich or poor, we have seen how society is coming together as humanity. We have to make sure that justice and peace comes in every home, harmony is integrating. We are internally driving. Families are knitting together. Our lifestyle is also giving you new world order in terms of work remodeling. The transformation that we are seeing today is going to be enduring and that change is enviable. The virtual reality today we are seeing and some of the important changes which coming through this crisis are all a life changing exercise. This is going to create more moderation to our substance of existence. We are going to have a positive moment and we are going to have positive attitude. We are going to be considered as better human beings who will support each other.

We can begin by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible. We cannot enrich ourselves without enriching others. We cannot build our fortune on borrowed money. We have to understand that time is limited in this planet in a value creation and there has to be a purpose behind it. We are going to be having a concerted vision for human prosperity. Our value systems are getting again identified in true prospects to support this planet earth. Mother Nature has gone through extraordinary stress. We are seeing the reflection in this planet today. The idea of coming together and living in isolation, maintain social distancing is an opportunity for you to reflect that we have a purpose behind our creation and we are going to make sure our value system is integrating in terms of heart and mind. We should build a society which creates better world and better citizenship to this world. That is what we see in terms of human consciousness. We should make sure we are all committed for social justice values which are going to be adding value to humanity and human prosperity.

* The author is Group CEO of Doha Bank.