On the other hand, infrequent or
uncertain positive
events,
like quality time with friends or an exciting road trip, occur too sporadically to get used to.
I would also argue that the shimmer is designed as an allegory for a disease that causes mental degeneration; the fact that the crew keep forgetting important
events, and crew members keep disappearing without any conventional forewarning, puts us in the
uncertain headspace of somebody suffering from an illness
like Alzheimer's, for example.