Semantics

On this, my first of five mornings of self-quarantine, arriving hard upon the last of five languid days of lamented hospitalization, I note, in passing, the astounding semantic difference between the two, apparently, self-same phrases:

1. “Nobody expects you to do anything…”

2. “Everybody expects you to do nothing…”

Trust me, dear friends, these are far from synonymous!

Sorry, America, no Cake this year?

For the last few days, my mind has been drawn to a comparison of Parenting and Patriotism.

1. I love my children and I love my country.
2. My kids are pretty neat kids and I like them better than most other people’s kids. Likewise, my country is a pretty neat country and I like it better than most other countries.
3. When my kids do good things, I am proud on them and praise them. So too for my country.
4. When my children engage in unacceptable behavior, I express my dissatisfaction and encourage them to remedy the behavior. When my country engages in unacceptable behavior, I express my dissatisfaction and engage in action to remedy that behavior.
5. Luckily, My wife and I largely agree about what constitutes “unacceptable” behavior from our children and are able to apply sufficient force toward aiding a reformation. Sadly, my fellow citizens are so divided on what constitutes “unacceptable” behavior from my country, that I am not confident that any pressure I, and like minded citizens, can apply will have any significant influence aiding a reformation of my country’s unacceptable behaviors because so many other fellow citizens are patting my country on the back and praising the behaviors I condemn.

What is a Patriot left to do?

Cancel the Birthday Party?