I’m going to have to redefine “liberal” and “conservative” for myself

That’s why the internet and especially Twitter are the worst places for this, because you don’t have relationships and people are trying to show how smart they are. They’re trying to show how devoted they are to their team. So the kind of political engagement, the kind of public square that we get from social media, is generally terrible.

Obvious, I know, but the article linked below offers some insight on just why this is and provides hope for being able to come together as Americans to move forward, together, to get out of the messes currently before us.

Jonathan Haidt on the Pandemic and America’s Polarization – The Atlantic

Wear a mask

Even if you are gung-ho for reopening and resuming business as usual, do your part and wear a mask to reduce what you release into the environment. It will help everyone, including your own business.

I’ll be wearing a mask any time I’m around people. The benefit it provides to the public is huge compared to what it costs me. It’s the simplest, most inexpensive act of kindness I can imagine, and it will literally save lives.

The Risks – Know Them – Avoid Them – Erin Bromage

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How can we all get along when we can’t agree on staying at home or not?

But the choice between staying home indefinitely and returning to business as usual now is a false one. Risk is not binary. And an all-or-nothing approach to disease prevention can have unintended consequences.

Ask me sometime about how to be 100% safe while riding a motorcycle.

Quarantine Fatigue Is Real. Shaming People Won’t Help. – The Atlantic

William Golding’s vision was clouded

But that night the boys made a grave error. They fell asleep. A few hours later they awoke to water crashing down over their heads. It was dark. They hoisted the sail, which the wind promptly tore to shreds. Next to break was the rudder.

Keep reading. It’s worth it.

The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months – The Guardian

Three $50 gift cards for local businesses donated to every household in town

Residents of the town’s 549 households received an envelope containing three $50 gift cards to West Side Bar and Grille, Hometown Market and Trostel’s Broken Branch. The cards added up to more than $82,000 spent by the donor between the three restaurants, or more than $27,000 each.

Anonymous donor sends $150 in gift cards to every household in 1,400-person Iowa town – USA Today

Is today still September 12?

As we go through an indeterminate period of time separated from the normal rhythm of our lives, Americans are going to be forced to consider what’s most important to them. The answer, so far, appears to be family, community, and a sense of decency—whether it’s in the heroism of health-care workers or in the video that your friend shared of some random act of kindness. Our politics and government should reflect that decency in the priorities we set at home and the actions we take abroad.

9/11 No Longer Defines Our World – The Atlantic