Flags

I don't like the tribalism that appears to be baked into the human condition. Oh, I'm sure it served some evolutionary purpose millennia ago but one of the big pluses for globalism as far as I'm concerned is the message that we're all part of the same people.

Flags and team colours seem to go hand in hand with tribalism - or nationalism as it is at a larger scale - and I don't much like those either. In fact, the only flag I do like is the EU one, which I associate with both peace and also a more forward thinking attitude than flags normally represent. 

As a consequence of the above, I was wary about the 75th anniversary of VE Day. It did not seem it would be an occasion for sober reflection and gratitude, nor an opportunity that would be taken to reflect on how we benefitted from working alongside other countries to defeat one very specific instance of extreme nationalism. 

So, I felt a little queasy running past the union flags and bunting on Wraygarth, this morning, but my spirits were hugely lifted by this little display at the top of Hophouse Lane.

****
-10.0 kgs
Reading: 'Underland' by Robert Macfarlane