The Silver Lining of a Global Pandemic That Is the Coronavirus

At the time of writing this article it has been announced that Wonder Con, Mulan, A Quiet Place II, and even Disneyland have postponed. The reason is because of a new virus called Coronavirus. If you’re unfamiliar with the current situation, I encourage you to check out this video by John Oliver.

Recently the World Health organization deemed this new virus to be a Global Pandemic, which is a pretty solid reason for anyone organizing events that will attract large groups of people to cancel. Especially when you learn more about the Coronavirus.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.  

Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.  Detailed investigations found that SARS-CoV was transmitted from civet cats to humans and MERS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans. 

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. 

Standard recommendations to prevent infection spread include regular hand washing, covering mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, thoroughly cooking meat and eggs. Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing. – WHO

With so many events being canceled, it is understandable that folks are disappointed. Especially in our community where cosplayers work tirelessly on their new designs, photographers are eager to test out new techniques, videographers yearning to produce another video, and vendors trying to push their small business to new heights. Even us here at The Geek Lyfe have waited all year long for these conventions and would completely understand if other conventions cancel or postpone as well. We look forward to connecting with the community, interviewing content creators, and reporting back with all sorts of news for fans.

But now that reality is at our doorstep with schools being closed and workplaces rushing to provide ways for their workers to work from home. Not to mention the panic purchases of toilet paper and cleaning supplies, it all feels similar to the first minutes in an apocalyptic film.

Even the President of the United States has requested the American people practice strict acts of separation from our peers to help slow the spread of the Coronavirus.

So now we have come to the point where we must self-quarantine in order to help our community to slow the spread while the world’s best scientists discover a vaccine to the Coronavirus. That means staying away from the public, even in the gatherings of 20 people seems like far too many. And this is terrifying to say the least, simply because we have never experienced anything even close to a global pandemic in our lifetime. We had such confidence in our technological advancements that such a concept seemed like works of fiction.

But staying at home in self-quarantine should not be seen as a horrible experience. It is easy to give in to the doom and gloom and sit in our beds in fear of the future but we should never focus on what is easy. Many of us are strong, healthy, and in our prime. We have our parents to care for and children who are looking to us for guidance.

In a time of uncertainty it is best we focus not on what we can not control but instead put our every effort to better ourselves in whatever way possible. When you consider all of the sporting events, social gatherings, conventions, weddings, etc. They are all such prominent festivals that cause us to feel a pang of guilt for missing on them. We know that not attending can even negatively affect relationships and even self-esteem thanks to the wonders of peer pressure. Often times we set aside our true passions for these events and then throw in money and time as well.

But now we live in a time where we have an abundance of time and personal space. This excess of resources is the silver lining of a global pandemic, my friends. This is the time to sit down at your computer and write. To read. To call your loved ones. To map out that business plan. To teach your kids how to draw. To watch all of those movies you actually wanted to watch but were too shy to go alone to the theaters.

This is a golden opportunity born from unfortunate circumstance and it should not be wasted. Because a day will come where the vaccine will arrive, and it will, and we all slowly return to our normal habits of giving ourselves to too many events.

Why not use this time for self-care and progress on all of the things we truly want in life?

Sprinkled in this video are videos that have helped me tremendously to get the right mindset and push through those hard times in order to produce content. I hope it helps you on your own journey of self-improvement so that we all come out of this better, stronger, and faster!