The coronavirus pandemic is not only a medical but also a social phenomenon. It is taking a lot from us, but it is also providing a new opportunity to learn and understand what really matters in life.

We have created a world in which greed and profit stand for strong values. However, the crisis is revealing that science, art and education are indeed of utmost importance.

The situation in which we are immersed today has brought with it time to reflect on where we are, why we are here and where we are heading.

It is holding up a mirror to our actions. It has forced us to abandon activities that were, until recently, indispensable, such as consumerism, and it has revived the values of solidarity, closeness and empathy.

The first activity that we are having to give up in these times is consumerism. Overnight, we had to give up our conviction that it is difficult to live without spending, that consumption is a given and also gives purpose to our lives. Recent weeks have forced us to face the fact that this is something that we can leave behind.

In a way, this is a test to see if we can find a different purpose to our lives than the one imposed on us by the current global capitalist economy and its promoters.

There is no doubt that, amid the pandemic, many are wondering whether it was really necessary to make shopping, travel deals, low-cost global destinations and more, such an integral part of our lives.

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