A little pessimism

People say they want for the pandemic to be over, and return to life as they knew it.

First off, we will have an endemic when nature decides it's ready. No amount of wishing will change that. But why haven't we invested into anything that may hasten that, short of a vaccine of course? We humans are ill prepared for much in spite of our intelligence and advances in technology.

Second, from where I sit, there is no way I (and I suspect many others) can return to what we had before.

My dad died. My boys went to college. We found out that sports is a big lie, and should be consumed only for entertainment. It's about money and nothing else. Disney has turned out to be about a cash grab. I'm happier at home watching movies on my schedule. I decided I really didn't care for restaurants anyway, and cook great things at home. People I thought were my friends moved, flaked out, or otherwise showed they're really not my friends (save a few of course). I'm older and closer to retirement, and don't have a passion for working - and anyway we went remote 100% and I'm just as happy with that. There's no office to return to, per se.

So any- and every- thing I had pre-pandemic is gone. I have nothing to return to. And in my seemingly-rewired brain, I feel different. Maybe anti-social to a point. I have no real interests. The things I enjoyed and enjoyed doing don't really exist anymore.

So for me it's a whole new normal. Different that pre-pandemic. Closer to pandemic. But not that, either.

Maybe we'll travel at some point. Maybe there's something in that?