On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. This virus has infected and caused many deaths of people from countries all over the world, including our country, Malaysia. Therefore, Malaysia has implemented the Movement Control Order (MCO) – which means all citizens of Malaysia have to stay at home to contain the virus from spreading.
My experience of this pandemic with my family is that we have the opportunity to spend quality time together through activities such as cleaning the house, eating, and watching the television together. Besides that, my classmates and I have to complete all the homework that the teachers give us online as all schools have been ordered to close.
This recent outbreak has taught me many values in different aspects of life: spiritual values, family values, as well as personal values.
From a spiritual point of view, this outbreak has taught me that we should always have faith in God and never stop praying through every storm in life such as this pandemic. Nothing is impossible for God so we should always put our trust in Him! Many churches in our city, Kuching livestream their weekly Sunday service through Facebook. This is because all religious gatherings have to be canceled to abide by the MCO. Faith is still possible with the help of the internet.
Next, this pandemic has also taught me spiritually to help and reach out to those in need. Besides that, during the MCO, I have been able to strengthen my relationships with my family members as we have been spending all our time together. Other than that, I am able to appreciate my parents better as they sacrifice so much for me. They use their hard-earned money to buy household needs such as food and masks to make sure I stay healthy.
Following that, this pandemic has also affected me as an individual. I have learned to be more disciplined by submitting all my homework and assignments before the due date. In addition to that, from my personal experience, the lockdown has taught me to be grateful for the frontliners working around the clock, fighting for their patients’ lives and treating those in need. It has also taught me that life is precious and we should do our best to make every second of life worth living.
I can do many things about this situation. There are many families out there who do not get a chance to buy and stock up on necessities such as food and masks. I can donate to societies or associations that are helping them. If we can’t help them physically, we should always pray for them as well as all the patients and families affected by the virus.
Last but not least, I can show my appreciation to the frontliners by donating medical supplies and preparing food for them. All of us must play our part in keeping everyone safe and healthy by staying at home and abiding by the MCO.
• Maia Leong
