Not to sound trite, but what is 'normal' has now been altered permanently. We have a new baseline to measure from, and you can't go back. I've been watching the Burningman community with some interest... there are two distinct groups forming... the partiers who were only there for the party are going all gung-ho back into community events, and are spreading covid. (Friends of mine here in Seattle made the international news for the dumbass party they held that became a superspreader event.) Then there is the other group of Burners who just deeply connect with the bigger picture/goals of Burningman, and are in full hibernation mode, and will be for probably another two years or so. (Depending on variant mutation, of course.) They (us, we) are confident that we will gather again with friends, around a fire, and do silly shit together in a safe and fun environment. In about two years. When all the idiots are dead, the variants are under control, and there has been time for people to heal from their losses and define what their next phase of participation will be. This is the group I am most excited about because they don't want to return to "normal"... they want to learn from the global human experience, and move forward and craft something new that is appropriate for the time, place, and experiences we have all had as humanity during the last few years. THOSE events are going to be very interesting, and I believe will define the leading edge of creative culture for the next two decades, as Burningman (in the desert) did for the last three decades. It will also be an interesting phase of life for a lot of my cohorts who were also "original" Burners, because we will be coming up on retirement age. And I am curious to see how we adapt to the physical and psychological changes that age brings, as well. It begs the question whether or not things will eventually return to normal.