Watching the photos of carnival in Brazil, I’m a bit jealous. What a riotous array of costumes, diversions, and pleasures!

From http://www.coolpicturegallery.net/2009/02/brazil-carnival-2009.html

Things work differently in most of the US, where “Fat Tuesday” or Mardi Gras is generally a drinking holiday and not much more. It’s very post-industrial indulgent to want Fat Tuesday without Lent; carnival without the cleanup and return to daily life. I’m a big fan of parties and celebrations, but also of periods of self-reflection.

One of my friends who often observes Lent as a period of self-reflection says, “Discipline is a muscle.” And indeed, you can Google up a bunch of studies that show, much like weight training, you can train yourself psychologically and emotionally to do things you find hard. One of the things I find hard is to cut the electronic umbilical cord, and be offline. I have just passed the point where I have spent more than half of my life online… sending data for work; participating in online community; making “real-world” friends that I first met by using a keyboard. It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I need a more solitary and tactile existence. Read More »