Day 1,341: fray

War is no longer a remote possibility, because an unstated bargain has frayed.

How to avoid war over Taiwan

Artwork of the day 
Fray Pedro Machado
Francisco de Zurbaran
Style: Baroque
Genre: religious painting

Word of the day 
fray: to become or to cause the threads in cloth or rope to become slightly separated, forming loose threads at the edge or end

Quote of the day
“I look up at the sky, wondering if I'll catch a glimpse of kindness there, but I don't. All I see are indifferent summer clouds drifting over the Pacific. And they have nothing to say to me. Clouds are always taciturn. I probably shouldn't be looking up at them. What I should be looking at is inside of me. Like staring down into a deep well. Can I see kindness there? No, all I see is my own nature. My own individual, stubborn, uncooperative often self-centered nature that still doubts itself--that, when troubles occur, tries to find something funny, or something nearly funny, about the situation. I've carried this character around like an old suitcase, down a long, dusty path. I'm not carrying it because I like it. The contents are too heavy, and it looks crummy, fraying in spots. I've carried it with me because there was nothing else I was supposed to carry. Still, I guess I have grown attached to it. As you might expect.”
― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running