Last week, I attended a lecture in a small room. As people wandered in, claiming seats and chatting, the air in the room became close. Not one of us was wearing a mask. I wondered how many people had gotten the newest booster (only an abysmal 7% of U.S. adults as of the end of October). My thoughts drifted back to the shutdown and the fear that we all shared. That fear has been forgotten, disposed of. We don’t like to remember the uncomfortable, do we?

The shutdown divided us into thirds:

1. Those who were not affected, either monetarily or personally.