The Worship of the State

I think patriotism is a religion, and one that is slavishly enforced in the US regardless of what other religion or religions the people enforcing it are or are not following.  To this end, I propose that we not allow government funding of patriotic displays as a way to properly enforce the separation of church and state.

ramble-tags: which is not to minimize the many other religious issues this country has, just to say, I firmly think this qualifies as one of them

On Staying Home

I spent a lot of time being gloomy about it, but I actually really don't feel any sort of need anymore for travelling around beyond for necessary purposes and exercise.  Maybe this is temporary, but it's nice not to feel like I need to go anywhere 'special' and that where I am is good enough.  I like being able to go outside, but I feel like just walking around my neighborhood or hanging around at the park is plenty exciting for me.  Like just being in a lot of places, we get constantly advertised to in a way that's much more visceral and causes deeper longing than just seeing an ad on a screen.  But I largely don't get that anymore, because I almost never go anywhere to buy anything any more, or even go to public places that are indoors unless it's for a strictly necessary activity.  So if I can continue with that, I think I'll save a lot of money on stuff that I'd otherwise feel I need to be happy.  I wish I could have come to this realization without a worldwide pandemic.  Maybe if I lived in a different world, I could have lived my entire life like this.

This is bad for my in person socializing of course, but I've been thinking about that.  Eventually, after I acquire a plague doctor suit hazmat suit (perhaps a slight exaggeration--perhaps), I could schedule meetings with people outside when the weather is sufficiently favorable.  Maybe I'll just find other people who like being outside, because I know a lot of people dislike the lack of climate control.  I don't like being outside in really extreme weather, but it just being the normal amount of hot or cold, with possibly some drizzle is something I'm quite used to from never owning a car in a country with often spotty public transit.