Here's the thing: people adapt. We hear about various unthinkable horrors in Russia or the USSR, and think that people lived in fear 24/7. No, people still live

Here's the thing: people adapt. We hear about various unthinkable horrors in Russia or the USSR, and think that people lived in fear 24/7. No, people still lived their lives, went to schools, got married, had children, worked, got paid, went shopping, went on vacations, etc. Various things were different, for example long shopping lines, or the constant fear of informers. But you learned to keep your tongue, stop thinking about frivolous things such as "inalienable rights", mutter the right incantations, and life was livable. I know this because I was born in the Eastern Block. Life offered lots of little moments of joy, such as going to math contests and getting awards (for me as a kid). Just think of the times of Covid. In January 2020 we could not fathom the idea of being trapped at home for months, and then it happened just like that. Life went on. The same with Communism. It's horrible, but (most) people adapt and keep living their lives.