Let
me risk sounding Pollyannaish at this coronavirus moment. This link is
by no means intended to downplay the seriousness of this pandemic and
the need to stay vigilant, or how much suffering some are having to
endure, or how complicated it is making life. But even as I hunker down
trying to help some in my quarantined family (after a trip to France), I
realized how much easier it is to manage the little things of life
these days, as noted in
“My Ordinary Life: Improvements Since the 1990s.” Two examples among many:
Power
Tools (such as drills, leaf blowers, or lawn mowers) are increasingly
battery-powered, making them more reliable & quieter & less
air-polluting. …
Shipping speeds
have dramatically improved, especially for low-cost tiers: consider
Christmas shopping from a mail-order company or website in 1999 vs
2019—you used to have to order in early December to hope to get
something by Christmas (25 December) without spending $30 extra on fast
shipping, but now you can get free shipping as late as 19 December!
Nothing
earth-shattering in the list, but it does remind one that the everyday
grace of conveniences—like power tools!—can bring a little joy into
one’s life.
Rules Rule
Like
most of us, I chafe at the countless rules that dictate our behavior in
a complex world, especially when they seem inconvenient. Like having to
wait at a red light when there is absolutely no traffic coming. And so
on. And yet
as this article notes, rules and rule-making are woven into the very fabric of human existence:
Consider,
too, how rules are the essence of sport, games and puzzles – even when
their entire purpose is supposedly fun. The rules of chess, say, can
trigger a tantrum if I want to “castle” to get out of check, but find
that they say I can’t; or if I find your pawn getting to my side of the
board and turning into a queen, rook, knight or bishop. Similarly, find
me a football fan who hasn't at least once raged against the offside
rule.
But
chess or football without rules wouldn’t be chess or football – they
would be entirely formless and meaningless activities. Indeed, a game
with no rules is no game at all. …
…
rules about driving on the left or the right, stopping at red lights,
queueing, not littering, picking up our dog's deposits and so on fall
into the same category. They are the building blocks of a harmonious
society.
Of
course, there has long been an appetite among some people for a less
formalised society, a society without government, a world where
individual freedom takes precedence: an anarchy.
The
trouble with anarchy, though, is that it is inherently unstable –
humans continually, and spontaneously, generate new rules governing
behaviour, communication and economic exchange, and they do so as
rapidly as old rules are dismantled.
Friendship Park
The rules and laws surrounding our southern border are subject to fierce debate right now. For this week’s long read, I offer
a poignant look
involving “a patch of land between San Diego and Tijuana, [where] loved
ones reunite across a mesh fence, poking pinkies through the holes to
touch.” Journalist Suketu Mehta is clearly in favor of a more lenient
border policy—with which, as readers of the GR might suspect, I heartily
agree. But he fairly represents an opposing view, in particular of one
Rodney Scott, border patrol sector chief, who happens to be a devout
Christian. Before that, he gives us a little history of this “patch of
land”:
For
years, if you didn’t have papers or lacked the authorization to leave
the United States without the right to come back, the only place along
the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexican border where you could meet your family
face-to-face was at the end of the line: a small patch of land adjoining
the Pacific Ocean between San Diego and Tijuana. It was inaugurated by
First Lady Pat Nixon in 1971 as a “friendship park” between the two
nations and originally did not have a fence. Families on both sides
could meet and have picnics together without hindrance. “May there never
be a wall between these two great nations,” Nixon said. “Only
friendship.”
Why Do We Love Dogs?
Speaking
of friendship, let’s think about dogs. I’m not a dog lover, but I’m
married to one, so I have some vague understanding of the matter:
The
joyousness of dogs, or at any rate their great affability, must have
been a significant factor in their induction into human communities. The
usual utilitarian view that dogs were first put to practical uses –
hunting, guarding, pulling – and only later became inserted into family
life as pets is implausible.
Dogs
could never have been properly trained in the intelligent skills
required to, say, assist hunters except by people whose empathy with
them was acquired through living with these animals. [Nobel prize winner
zoologist] Konrad Lorenz was right to speculate that the appeal which
playful puppies have for children, and indeed their parents, was crucial
to their adoption into our ancestors’ communities.
Jealous Dogs
Grace and peace,
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