Tag: Life

Just Stop, Trump Evangelicals

Yesterday’s events left me stunned, but it wasn’t until I saw the standard conservative evangelical reactions start rolling in that I became fully infuriated.

Take a look:

Aaaaaargh! Years of garbage like this played a key role in what got us to yesterday. You. Are. Complicit.

Your silence in an effort to not “be political” (except when it comes to pro-conservative topics) makes you complicit.

Your careless sharing of misinformation makes you complicit.

Your lack of empathy for the lives of others makes you complicit.

Your “it’s up to God!” excuse for non-action makes you complicit.

Now is not the time for doubling down and sinking with the ship. Now is the time to repent and start humbly listening. Not only has your orange calf been (at long last) toppled, but you’ve found yourself with bloody hands. Start washing.

The New Normal

As we start a new year with (once the death rattle shenanigans peter out) new leadership, it’s tempting to think that things will slowly start returning to normal. For the most part this will (hopefully) be true, but one of the many ripples of 2020 on American society has been a great “Band-Aid ripping” effect that’s caused many slow but inevitable changes to happen years before anticipated.

As a result, a lot of things are never snapping back into place. Here are my predictions for a few of them…

Commuting and remote work: While it’s possible that we start seeing permanent closures of physical offices (for jobs that allow it), we’ll almost certainly see a lot more flexibility for and acceptance of remote work for a significant portion of the workweek. Future generations will find it jaw-dropping that many people once filled a personal car with gasoline, only to drive to another location five days a week, sit there at a computer for hours, then drive back home.

Our interactions with stores and restaurants: Online/app-centered ordering, delivery services, curbside item pickups and digital in-restaurant menus are here to stay. Who knew that QR codes would finally have their moment?

New movie releases: With Warner Bros. already leading the way, we’ll see same-day streaming releases for new movies, with the number of movie theaters shrinking as the theatrical experience becomes more of a “few times a year” social experience. Spielberg and Lucas were way ahead of the curve on this.

Streaming church services, theatrical performances and other live events: Obviously nothing beats an in-person experience, but the convenience and wider accessibility provided by live streams (augmented with text, audio or video discussion rooms) is powerful, and will become a vital leg on the live event/community stool.

The attitude of American exceptionalism: From the massive bungling of our nation’s COVID response to the long overdue reckoning on institutional racism, many people have experience a forced recalibration to their sense of America’s place in the world. Let’s move forward with an attitude of humility and a desire for cooperation.

They Get Like That

Back before the ugly truth came out, Louis C.K. had a great bit about aging that’s started to resonate more and more with me as I hurtle ever closer to oblivion:

Some things that are now just “like that” for me:

  • Socks or slippers are now essential (otherwise my feet become blocks of ice)

  • Morning coffee isn’t just a suggestion

  • Evening coffee is out (unless I’m up for an all-night ceiling staring party)

  • My patented terrible desk posture has real, non-thrilling effects later in the day

  • Reading glasses are no longer optional

  • Forgetting my sunglasses makes me feel like a vampire stepping into daylight

  • Eating garbage actually affects me (especially non-diet soda, which has become my Kryptonite)

  • I can’t just eat snacks throughout the day without it taking a dire toll on my waistline

  • 10pm hits like a ton of bricks

  • I can hardly ever sleep in past 5:30 or 6:00am now, which is “neat”

Here’s to inevitable declines! 🥂