I've really been thinking a lot about ritualization. Confucious had that right. Crime & punishment is a terrible system. Better than sin & guilt, but not better than shame. I am not sure the lines of loyalty he posits are the best, but the idea of internalization-- it appeals to me. Even more because I've been thinking about mandates. Who governs under what flag? Brute strength cedes to apeals to godhead or destiny, & currently the mandate of the people is popular. I think the mandate of ideology is the way to go. I want people willing to recklessly chose the advancement of a cause over the advancement of self. Not to self destruction, though I think that is what it will be contrasted by. Overheard just now in my office: "The fishnets, the champagne, the machete."
NaNoWriMo again this year, I think.