No one should be surprised that the pandemic sucked the fun out of much of American life these past few months, and how much of it will come back is now an open question. Leisure isn’t a priority during a national emergency, but it’s being severely undervalued.

The coronavirus pandemic has not only resulted in crashing waves of illness and death but has run roughshod over nearly everything else Americans hold dear: careers, bank accounts, mental health, the educational outcomes of the nation’s young people, and freedom from government hassling and control. Meanwhile, the sin of police brutality, combined with inexcusable episodes of civil unrest, looting, and violence, have combined to render life in major cities needlessly dangerous.