Maybe we can think of religion as a multi-tool. Such a tool can be used as a screwdriver, a nail file, a bottle opener, etc.

OP is saying religion has always been used for control. However, religion can be used for many other things as well, like spiritual fulfillment, moral guidance, and providing a social community. It being used for control doesn’t mean it can’t also be those things, just as a multi-tool used to open a bottle can also be used to tighten a screw.

At least, that’s the way I interpreted this situation.

Mid-Altantic region here. Every day I pass a billboard that says, “Shackled by lust? Jesus sets you free!”

Which does nothing but make me think, “I guess Jesus is into domming now.”

Lucifer, with a name meaning “bearer of light,” makes far more sense as a deity that encourages education.

Next time you feel “enlightened” by new knowledge, remember that Lucifer’s the one behind it. God would rather lock knowledge up in a tree and call its fruit “forbidden.”

Honestly, it’s is a good argument in favor of letting kids become bored. Being bored used to be a universal experience before we had pocket screens everywhere. It gave us the opportunities to explore reading, creativity, and the world around us. Putting screens in kids’ faces at every potentially-boring moment in life deprives them of that, and trains them to consume entertainment instead of creating their own.

I cherished sitting quietly in the back seat of the car on long rides. I loved the peace and the changing scenery, it’d let my mind wander. I’d ponder questions, come up with stories, and analyze my emotions and experiences to better understand myself. It’s scary to think that the future generations will be practically born carrying tablets, and as such will rarely, if ever, have experiences like we did to sit in peace and find comfort in it.

I disagree that the rules and patterns are easy to figure out. However, I agree with your point about gut feelings and therapy.

Different people can act/react in different ways, which is part of what makes these moments confusing. Sometimes gut feelings can clue you in to things you’re not consciously aware of, but in interpersonal situations gut feelings can also be colored by your own hopes, fears, and biases. Someone who likes another person may be more likely to read another’s cues as flirtatious. Similarly, someone who doesn’t like another person may read different cues as confirming that they aren’t liked in kind.

Either way, this isn’t enough information to go on. I do get a positive vibe, but what that means can vary. She could like OP romantically, or she could like OP as a colleague and friend. Assuming romantic intent too soon can be disastrous, but building a friendship in the meantime has pretty much no downsides. Personally, I’d let it simmer for a bit and see if other signs come up before making any decisions that could jeopardize either kind of relationship.

I’d imagine even more people are there because somebody drove unpredictably. Right of way rules help other drivers know what to expect.

I have an ex that used to try to be “Mr Polite Driver” to a fault - ignoring rights of way, making others go in front of him even though it didn’t make sense, sometimes sitting at 4-way stops until the cars behind him began to honk. It bothered the hell out of me. If we all follow the same rights of way, we know better what to expect from the drivers around us. That makes the roads safer. Meanwhile, deciding single-handedly to make up your own rules means that now no one (but you) knows when you’re planning to move. That’s far more dangerous than just doing what we’re all taught to do in driving school.

Don’t mind me, I just wanted to rant about that a bit.

You mean even my Steam games are actual steam? Neat.

If we’re lucky it’s furry porn. I’m more worried about the non-consensual porn of real people, including simulated CSAM.

Some aircraft engines, too. The old single-engine Cessnas I trained on were air-cooled. Though that’s pretty easy when you’re pushing cool, atmospheric air over the engine at 100 knots.

I remember long ago, watching a show where a blind teenage boy used echolocation to skateboard around. I thought it was the coolest thing.

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It’s wild to remember this joke was from 1998, yet I can swear trucks have gotten even bigger since then. I remember most pickup trucks having a compromise between cab space and bed space. My brother’s first truck had two seats in the front and two side seats squished behind it - that is, it was such a small space that the seats faced inwards from the wall and we had to fold our legs so our knees went up. It was actually pretty fun to sit back there, I had a friend who’d ask him specifically to drive us places because she loved that feature.

But nowadays it seems most pickup trucks (that I see, in the US) gave up on making that compromise, like the truck in the post image. Full cab in front like it’s trying to be a family sedan, then a long-ass bed that makes the thing stick out pretty much anywhere it parks.

I’d say “pick a lane,” but with the size of these things, I don’t have high hopes.

The idea of sitting in a car with so little headroom makes me anxious. One collision and your head becomes a pingpong ball bouncing between the narrow walls. Unless they were somehow able to fit airbags in that thing, though even then I’d think the airbags would take up more space than the car has…

The article goes on about oil prices, but there’s no mention of the fact that many people can’t afford to vacation these days. Of course the budget airline is the first to fail when people on budgets are too busy trying to keep their families fed, housed, and healthy.

Got 16 speeding tickets? Instant banishment to Lancaster. Good luck speeding on a horse and buggy.

But the noise! Figuring out the optimal way to zone so it’s not too noisy, polluted, and people have space to park is one of the trickier parts of the game. (But I like the challenge.)

I love the use of “trump” as a verb here. Totally stealing that.

I second this. I’m almost always too hot and realized years ago that polyester fabrics made it worse. It’s one of the reasons my ex and I used different blankets - I used a 100% cotton sheet, but he was the type of person who’s usually cold, so he used fuzzy polyester blankets. He thought my blanket was too light, while I thought his was too hot.

The struggle to avoid polyester is the hardest part. I have a significant yarn collection for all my art projects, but over the past few years I’ve been trying to avoid polyesters (to avoid contributing to microplastics.) The only polyesters I bought since then were either made of recycled materials, or were special glow-in-the-dark kinds (because I haven’t found cotton or bamboo yarn with that feature yet.)

The joke is that “franca” = French. Though etymologically the phrase is from Italian, the root of “franca” is the same root that gives us the word “French.”

It’s always a good day to remember Rush Limbaugh is dead ❤️ 🌈