{"id":2585478,"date":"2026-03-30T20:29:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T00:29:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/opinion-is-it-just-me-or-is-the-world-finally-starting-to-feel-normal-again\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T20:32:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T00:32:41","slug":"opinion-is-it-just-me-or-is-the-world-finally-starting-to-feel-normal-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/opinion-is-it-just-me-or-is-the-world-finally-starting-to-feel-normal-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Is It Just Me, or Is the World Finally Starting to Feel Normal Again?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fopinion-is-it-just-me-or-is-the-world-finally-starting-to-feel-normal-again%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2585478&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece argues that heavy use of smartphones and social media breeds a bleak, hypercharged world of endless outrage and detachment, amplified by algorithms and political polarization that demonize conventional behavior.It then offers a counterpoint from a recent weekend in the American South,where the author observed a revival of offline,communal life: crowded malls,families and friends socializing without constant phone use,kids at sleepovers,skating rinks,and bowling alleys bustling with young people. The narrative contrasts online hostility with real-world scenes of people choosing shared experiences over digital distraction, noting a movie outing to Project Hail Mary that felt unpoliticized and appealing to a broad audience. The author also mentions not seeing the expected protest activity and suggests that, at least in these experiences, life is beginning to feel more normal again. the piece presents an anecdotal sense that despite persistent online noise,there might potentially be a gradual return to everyday,in-person interactions and genuine social connection.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>If you spend enough time on your phone, the world starts to feel like a pretty bleak place.<\/p>\n<p>It is loud, angry, and constant, a stream of outrage and division that never really lets up, no matter how far you scroll or how many times you refresh the homepage.<\/p>\n<p>That is life in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-dumps-presidential-debate-commission\/\" title=\"RNC Dumps Presidential Debate Commission\">post-social<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-gonzalez-democrats-are-in-denial-about-why-they-are-losing-hispanic-voters\/\" title=\"Mike Gonzalez: Democrats Are in Denial About Why They Are Losing Hispanic Voters\">social media age<\/a>, where people are technically connected but increasingly detached from anything that feels genuine.<\/p>\n<p>Many of us scroll until our eyes are strained as we consume content that is carefully curated by algorithms that profit off keeping us agitated, distracted, and buying crap from China.<\/p>\n<p>And if it feels like the negativity has been turned up in recent years, that is because it has. Coming out of the pandemic, it felt like a multitude of tech and social factors had killed off what made living near other people fun.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>That era was led politically by Joe Biden, who &mdash; along with the media and Big Tech &mdash; did everything possible to demonize traditional behavior and social mores, and to isolate and divide people.<\/p>\n<p>The legacy of those years still lingers online through a constant sense that everything is on the verge of collapse, or that the best is way behind us.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, out in the real world, something else appears to be happening, especially to me over this past weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Now, this is anecdotal, and I live in the South, so it is possible this is regional. But what I saw was hard to ignore.<\/p>\n<p>I walked into a mall on Saturday and was immediately struck by how full it was. Not in a cramped or uncomfortable way, either, but in a way that felt natural and nostalgic.<\/p>\n<p>There were people everywhere, moving through stores, talking in groups, carrying shopping bags, and just existing in a space together without needing a mediator.<\/p>\n<p>The energy was there, the kind young people now call &ldquo;vibes,&rdquo; and it felt like something that had quietly been missing.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, I picked up one of my kids from a sleepover, where she had spent time with other kids, face-to-face. Later in the day, I took my family to a skating rink.<\/p>\n<p>That place was packed. Kids were everywhere, running into friends, laughing, circling the floor, and crashing. It felt like stepping into a different decade entirely.<\/p>\n<p>What stood out most was how few people were on their phones. In fact, I may have been the only person on a phone.<\/p>\n<p>My regular bowling alley was the same story.<\/p>\n<p>It is usually busy on Sunday nights, but this time I ended up waiting nearly an hour for a lane, and it did not even feel frustrating. There was a time not long ago when I wondered how bowling alleys stayed in business.<\/p>\n<p>People were out in big numbers, and it was not just older crowds. A large portion of the people there were in their 20s and teens, which made it even more striking.<\/p>\n<p>These are the people who have grown up entirely in the age of smartphones, and yet they were choosing to be there.<\/p>\n<p>My weekend had actually started at a movie theater, where I saw the non<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >-woke adventure film &#038;ldquo<\/a>;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/project-hail-mary-review-big-fun-hit-feels-like-old-hollywood\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Project Hail Mary<\/a>&rdquo; <em>again<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The film has made more than $300 million in two weekends because, in my opinion, it is not injected with left-wing politics and is a touching story that people want to see.<\/p>\n<p>In any event, over the course of a few days this weekend, I started to see the world a little differently than I have grown accustomed to.<\/p>\n<p>Everywhere I went, people were out. They were walking, talking, laughing, eating, and participating in a world that, if you experience life mostly through the internet, you might assume no longer exists.<\/p>\n<p>The insane, left-wing &ldquo;No Kings&rdquo; protestors were out across the country, but I never saw any of them.<\/p>\n<p>The places I went were full of people who had decided, whether consciously or not, to step away from the noise and to do something fun with other people. It was beautiful.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it never truly stopped being like this, and I just noticed it now, but I don&rsquo;t think so.<\/p>\n<p>I am kind of wired to observe places and people, and my weekend felt different in a way that is still hard to ignore.<\/p>\n<p>If I didn&rsquo;t know any better, I would almost say the world is starting to find its way back to something that feels like normal.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the readable narrative, excluding the code snippets and form elements:<\/p>\n<p>If you spend a lot of time on your phone, the world can start to feel pretty bleak-loud, angry, and nonstop-with a constant stream of outrage and division that doesn\u2019t end no matter how much you scroll or refresh. This is life in the post-social, social-media era: people are technically connected, yet increasingly distant from anything genuine. Much of what we consume online is carefully curated by algorithms that profit from keeping us agitated, distracted, and buying stuff. The negativity seems sharper in recent years, especially after the pandemic, when tech and social forces helped erode what made living near others feel enjoyable.<\/p>\n<p>The piece suggests that the online climate of that era was shaped in part by political leadership and the influence of media and Big Tech, which it says worked to demonize traditional behavior and social mores and to isolate people. That online sentiment-think things on the brink of collapse or the belief that the best times are behind us-lingers online even as the writer notes a different experience in the real world.<\/p>\n<p>Over a recent weekend in the South, the author observed something different. The mall was surprisingly crowded, not in a cramped way, but with a natural, nostalgic energy-people moving through stores, talking in groups, carrying bags, simply being in a shared space without a mediator. The weekend continued with time spent with family: a sleepover visit with a child, a trip to a skating rink that was packed, and a bowling alley that had a long wait but felt unfrustrating. In all those places, very few people were on their phones. The author even watched the film Project Hail Mary at a theater, noting it felt unpolitical and emotionally moving, and it contributed to a sense that normal life could still exist.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the weekend left the author with a changed perspective: people were out, engaging with each other-walking, talking, laughing, dining, and participating in a world that might seem diminished when viewed mainly through the internet. The writer felt that perhaps the country was starting to reclaim a more ordinary social life, even if it\u2019s just a moment, rather than a permanent reversal. If nothing else, the experience stood out as a reminder of in-person life and connection<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2585479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/crowded-theater-for-march-30-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[76835,76834,4902,16617,4697],"class_list":["post-2585478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-current-events-2","tag-normalcy-2","tag-opinion","tag-perspective","tag-world"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/crowded-theater-for-march-30-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2585478"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2585482,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2585478\/revisions\/2585482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2585479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2585478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2585478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2585478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}