Inspiration for us "youngsters"

The View from 90

Carol Winfield is 90 years old, resides in Burlington, Vermont, has no family or friends living nearby, taught yoga in her 70s, is an author (Yoga in the Morning, Martini at Night), has spinal stenosis, and often has insomnia. Though she can do very little physically, she can write. I have started following her blog in hopes that it will help me fight back against the encroaching wave of old age.

I do not feel magnificent today. I feel lousy. I have grown brittle, tire easily, hear poorly, no longer see that well, find little joy in eating. I, once was absorbed with good cooking and good food, see no way out of the problem. I am alone, living almost exclusively on Social Security. A comparative new comer to Burlington, there is little continuity in my life or companionship from a shared past. What few friends I had have either died or left the area. There is no family nearby. What’s more, I find Vermonters, I regret to say, do not reach out easily to a single, old woman.

Milestone 389

Inspired by the final electoral vote count, Jess at Wallstats.com created this typographic mashup of the history of slavery, racism, and the progress of African Americans. You can see the rest of this amazing poster and even buy a print at the web site.

http://www.wallstats.com/blog/389-years-ago/

Do we need god to be good?

This article compares America's religiosity to free but godless societies. It appears that "community" is the active ingredient in religion, not belief in the presence of a supernatural being. I agree. Most of my present apostate unhappiness stems from isolation from former friends.

In general, you might expect people in less God-fearing countries to be a lot less kind to one another than Americans are.
It is at this point that the "We need God to be good" case falls apart. Countries worthy of consideration aren't those like North Korea and China, where religion is savagely repressed, but those in which people freely choose atheism. In his new book, Society Without God, Phil Zuckerman looks at the Danes and the Swedes—probably the most godless people on Earth. They don't go to church or pray in the privacy of their own homes; they don't believe in God or heaven or hell. But, by any reasonable standard, they're nice to one another. They have a famously expansive welfare and health care service. They have a strong commitment to social equality. And—even without belief in a God looming over them—they murder and rape one another significantly less frequently than Americans do.

Read the whole article here