In the short term, the coronavirus crisis is a disaster. The deaths and hospitalizations. The social distancing and economic catastrophe. It’s almost all bad news.

The good news is that the crisis is upgrading our culture, and that will help everyone in the long term.

People are learning the joy of baking home-made, sourdough and sometimes ancient-grain bread.

Reducing trips to the store means, for many, planing vegetable gardens and preserving those foods with fermentation.

For the first time ever, a large number of people are getting into the habit of washing their hands right, which will prevent countless deaths and hospitalizations for as long as lots of people do it.

People are walking and biking more and driving less.

Restaurant trips are almost non-existent now, as many people are learning to cook — some for the first time ever.

As we learn that COVID-19 is more likely to kill people with lifestyle diseases, like cigarette smoking, obesity and diabetes, the incentive is greater than ever to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Until we get a vaccine, our best defense against the worst outcomes for people who do get the virus appears to be a strong immune system, which is something that can be achieved through diet, exercise and stress-management practices, like meditation.

The coronavirus crisis isn’t good, obviously. But the healthy habits it’s nudging us to adopt are very good, and will serve us for decades.