After the first week of self-isolation, I was startled to hear the same sentiment from friends on different continents: The pandemic is scary, but one silver lining is the total absence of FOMO. They said it was a relief to have stopped worrying that, somewhere, friends were having fun without them…

He was running an essential errand. Inside the building, people were jostling, pushing — no one was six feet away, no one was social distancing. He couldn’t get away, and he couldn’t get out. It was terrifying. Then he woke up. The man who shared this nightmare with me isn’t the only one…