In our bizarro world, which gets only more bizarro by the day, I often think of that Elvis Costello line. But the amusement fades pretty quickly. I'm in a quandary here, do I lower all of our spirits by sharing the thoughts that I'm certain we all have during these dark days, or do I offer hope and post something uplifting? I think a bit of each is in order. This post isn't as coherent as I'd like but I just wanted to get something out there. 

Here's a prescient quote from Eric Fromm:

"When Fascism came into power, most people were unprepared, both theoretically and practically. They were unable to believe that man could exhibit such propensities for evil, such lust for power, such disregard for the rights of the weak, or such yearning for submission."

Here's a warning to all fence sitters, and though the precise author may not be known, the sentiment is hard slap to the face:

"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."

And lastly, when things are bleak, keep this Richard Dawkins gem in mind:

“We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?”

I hope you are all unplugging, getting out of the house, and doing something positive. I just saw Jeff Rosenstock in Boston and this week, I'll take in a Sam Harris lecture there.

On the entertainment front, HBO MAX has Task, a really well done cops and robbers saga. 

Today's Andrew Sullivan podcast, The Dish, offers insights into Trump that were new to me. Author Michael Wolff has a new book out (All of Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America). I am a subscriber so I heard the entire podcast, but the casual listener can listen to the first half of it for free and I think it's time well spent.

Still hoping to see EEE and Mick return, come on guys! And great to see the always welcome Kathryn in Shapland post!

Peter T.