[ghaff]

I'm constantly reminded that I clearly live in something of a bubble. I think I know a few people who took a plane to ride out the pandemic somewhere they saw as safer and one person who took an international trip to do some business. But that's about it. And a lot of people I know, including myself, practically live in planes normally.

Yet, while air travel is down significantly, it's not that far down. Certainly not the 95% decrease it is in my circle.

[zelphirkalt]

My guess is: Many people just can't get a grip on themselves and their urges.

Among friends I know, that I am the most strictly adhering to lockdown rules, even going beyond what the rules are. I don't visit people, I avoid being visited (even whatever number of people is allowed visiting each other. Just because one can, does not mean it is a great idea.) I try to tell close ones to avoid visits. Many days I don't leave the house or premises, which of course I can only do, because of being able to work from home. Many people at least need to go to work, that much I understand. This goes on for a year or so by now, in which I have once met one friend outside for hiking.

Yet I know people, who I thought were smarter or had more self-control, who travelled. To me this is bafflingly selfish. Is their vacation travelling really more important than people around them, family members included? What if they catch a new variant, perhaps even one which goes undetected? (I don't know if that is biologically possible with the tests we have.) What if they have no symptoms but spread it to others? Are they ready to carry the responsibility for someone suffocating? Why do they need to go on vacation every year, no matter what is happening? What is the reasoning behind their actions?

I guess these thought and questions are not on the menu for many. Too uncomfortable to think about that. I guess I am quite extreme in my isolation. Probably easier for me to do than for others, because of pre-existing social isolation and being used to little social contact. However, what I also think is, that if more people avoided unnecessary contacts, travelling and such, we would be in less trouble than we are now.

The whole thing changed my view of some people I know. Not much to the better, I am afraid. Perhaps I am a person with especially low requirements of my world, as long as I have a computer with Internet access, food and running water. I guess it is hardest for the people, who have a huge contrast to the before pandemic time.

[ryandrake]

It's the awesome combined power of denial and selfishness. I've also had to do a tough re-evaluation of several friendships and relationships with family members. This pandemic brought out a lot of harsh truths about people's real selves. Here are some direct quotes from people I know. "We always have Thanksgiving dinner. It simply has to happen." "You can't just stop living life!" "I'm not going to let other people tell me what to do." "I am sure I won't get sick." "Play dates are OK because children can't spread it." "It's not that deadly." "You're in your 40s you have nothing to worry about, go out and live your life." "Stop being so scared." And these are all people who don't think it's all a hoax/conspiracy.

[throw0101a]

> My guess is: Many people just can't get a grip on themselves and their urges.

Blaise Pascal, Pensées:

> All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

[0xdde]

What makes you say that? While it may be rebounding now, there was a long stretch where it was down 95%, if not more, as evident from, say, https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput. I don't think other countries fared better.

[ghaff]

There was a very dramatic slowdown last spring/early summer but those numbers show it's been slowly picking up since then. And, to a first approximation, no one I know is traveling yet. (Though that will probably change this summer as they're all vaccinated.)

ADDED: And there are still basically no in-person tech events. Maybe in the fall though I'm skeptical that will happen. And where I work, you basically need high-level exemptions to meet with anyone physically for work purposes.