Quotations intentionally re-arranged a bit:
Will we ever be able to come into contact with other humans again?
To some, that would be a feature and not a bug. People who are perpetually fearful
and socially isolated are psychologically pliable in the extreme. It is a formula for
mass demoralization—as if modern peoples were had not already been demoralized to the point that they would meekly accept almost anything!
It really is the end of the world as we know it.
Observe the effect of domestic livestock or zoo animals who are caged individually, and disallowed all social contact with their own kind. Even those species which are ordinarily less social than humans tend to sicken and weaken in such conditions.
But the hand shake is a big one. The fist bump isn't much better, elbow bumps aren't my thing (aren't we supposed to cough in them now?) I kind of like Iranian foot tap, but that requires being closer than 6 feet apart.
For ordinary social courtesies, East Asians have a good idea with bowing.
However, that does not solve the problem of people being locked down
en masse, socially isolated, and psychologically deteriorating under a level of ironclad government control that is completely unprecedented in the West outside the formerly Communist-ruled countries of Europe.
generate discussion
connect with the huge thing dominating the minds/lives of basically everyone on Earth.
Thank you, theymos.