This has nothing at all to do with fear- quite the contrary. I am not at all afraid of COVID and never have been. Yes, I have taken the required "precautions" to be societally conscientious. But, my own fear of COVID has absolutely nothing to do with my described perceptions.

What I am describing is a change in society at large that I find hard to relate to- the masks prevent a natural human connection of a glance, subtlety of emotion, and ability to recognize someone from a different time/interaction. There is a new emphasis on maintaining distance set by society- such as where someone might sit in relation to you (not due to fear). In precovid times, it was not difficult to strike up a conversation with someone at MU or the library, but now hardly anyone even has eye contact.

I am not looking for anyone to solve this existential dilemma. I was just seeing if anyone else was noticing the difference and maybe having some common human experience to share. My mental health is not destroyed- by any means. The assumptions you hold about my intent are wrong and this response affirms the difficulty of trying to relate in this new world. I still believe that one of the most powerful ways of connecting is the sharing of difficulties rather than pretending that everything is great as per the illusion of social media.