Taken for Granted Redux

 My previous post about being taken for granted was about standing up for myself and making clear how I expected to be treated. But, how one expects to be treated is not set in stone, especially not during Covid times. A close friend recently confirmed what I had been suspecting--my Taken-for-granted radar has become more sensitive in recent times. I am aware I have always been sensitive about being taken for granted and its possible that Covid has reduced my thresholds further. However, I do feel that, in general, during a prolonged crisis people both take others for granted more easily and also feel taken for granted more easily. In other words, people become more self-interested. Our own experience of the crisis looms so large above us that it makes it difficult for us to see life from other people's perspective. In normal times, there is a more even distribution of those who need empathy and those in a position to deliver it. As someone who doesn't need a lot of empathy at the moment (knock on wood) nor has a lot of it to give, maybe its not a bad thing to become more of a recluse.As someone with few but close friends, I hitherto never minded taking the effort to keep in touch. Now, I find myself less inclined to do so. I don't feel bitter, I just feel like I can't be bothered to put in the effort.