The Top 5 articles for your week:<br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://harpers.org/archive/2022/01/routine-maintenance-embracing-habit-in-an-automated-world-meghan-ogieblyn/">“Routine Maintenance”</a> (<em>Harper’s</em>)<br/><br/>Because - are habits and routines “machine-like” or are they closer to what Benedictine monks discovered in medieval times as a healthy way to live?<br/><br/><em>“It does not escape me that what I’ve been describing as a spiritual discipline bears an uncomfortable resemblance to the cruder ethos of “life hacking.” Perhaps I am no different from those data fetishists in Silicon Valley who refer to Benjamin Franklin as a “productivity master,” and speak of free time as a “release valve.” It is difficult today to avoid the thought that we are becoming as rigid and inflexible as the machines that structure our lives. The New York Times columnist Kevin Roose calls this process “machine drift,” arguing that it’s degrading our humanity and making us professionally obsolete.”</em><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/upshot/biden-child-tax-credit.html?">“Why Isn’t Biden’s Expanded Child Tax Credit More Popular?”</a><em> (NYT)</em><br/><br/>Because, as we discuss in the podcast, many expected the program to receive higher approval, but several factors might be limiting support. <br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/republicans-democrats-forever-culture-war/621184/">“The Forever Culture War”</a> (<em>The Atlantic</em>)<br/><br/>Because <em>“Elites in both parties enjoy a certain privilege—one appropriate to a rich, advanced democracy—that allows them to emphasize culture while deprioritizing economic well-being. Civilizational concerns gain more political resonance precisely as perceptions of civilizational decline intensify on right and left alike. But this particular kind of </em><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/Decadent-Society-America-Before-Pandemic/dp/1476785252/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1641154117&#38;refinements=p_27%3ARoss+Douthat&#38;s=books&#38;sr=1-2&#38;text=Ross+Douthat"><em>decadence</em></a><em>—characterized, per The New York Times’ Ross Douthat, by reproductive sterility, economic stagnation, political sclerosis, and intellectual repetition—is an ideal foil for young conservatives cum reactionaries. It gives them something worthy of reaction. And, importantly, it doesn’t require being religious as much as it requires a recognition that religion is a vital societal good, regardless of whether it’s true.”</em><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/08/future-europe-hinges-coming-talks-between-west-russia/">“The future of Europe hinges on the coming talks between the West and Russia”</a> (<em>Washington Post</em>)<br/><br/>Because <em>WaPo</em>’s Editorial Board issues a dire warning about the situation the US finds itself in with Russian President Vladimir Putin threatening to imperil Europe if the US does not react strongly towards Putin’s threat of invasion of a sovereign country.<br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://mothersundertheinfluence.substack.com/p/rootin-tootin-charcutin">“Rootin’ Tootin’ Charcutin’”</a> (<em>Substack - Mothers Under the Influence</em>)<br/><br/>Because charcuterie boards are all over our social media and our social gatherings, and it might be a deeper commentary on cultural trends — of abundance and individualism, of aesthetics and algorithm — than we’d expect.<br/><br/>Wear is the Love Podcast<br/><br/>A subscriber, Mitchell Atencio, sent us this hilarious image for the podcast. Like it? <br/><br/>In Episode 3, we discuss article #2 above on the Child Tax Credit. We also discuss Wordle (girdle????) and the Buffalo Bills.<br/><br/><strong>Episode notes:</strong><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://mashable.com/article/wordle-word-game-what-is-it-explained">“Here's why we can't stop playing ‘Wordle’”</a><strong> </strong>(<em>Ma --- Support this podcast: <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wear-we-are/support" rel="payment">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wear-we-are/support</a>

Dear Friends,<br/><br/>Happy Epiphany! We’ve got a name for the podcast - Wear is the Love. Like it? Hate it? Michael is still open to another option, so let us know your best case for a different name.<br/><br/>In our second episode, we discuss predictions for 2022 amongst other things, like having COVID in our household this week.<br/><br/><strong>After this podcast episode, all new episodes will appear via the weekly Top 5 email, instead of a separate email. We know your email inbox is already full, and we don’t want to fill it up more. </strong>There is a private RSS feed in the lower right hand corner of the play box area so that you can subscribe to just episodes on a favorite podcast app.<br/><br/>Let us know your thoughts! Comment! Email us! Subscribe and support us! <br/><br/>Today is the last day to get our $25 annual subscription deal.<br/><br/>M&M<br/><br/>Episode notes:<br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/12/30/year-in-preview-2022/">“The ideas and arguments that will define the next 12 months”</a> (<em>Washington Post</em>)<br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250016/pope-francis-general-audience-society-loses-when-dogs-and-cats-take-the-place-of-children">“Pope Francis: Society loses when ‘dogs and cats take the place of children’”</a> (<em>Catholic News Agency</em>) <br/><br/>Get full access to Reclaiming Hope Newsletter at <a href="https://reclaiminghope.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">reclaiminghope.substack.com/subscribe</a> --- Support this podcast: <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wear-we-are/support" rel="payment">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wear-we-are/support</a>

As you can see, we decided to try out a podcast together. <br/><br/>We hope you’ll like it, and most of all, we hope it’ll be fun. The podcast will be a companion to the newsletter, and it will feature marital chatter about the latest in politics, faith and family life. Sometimes we may talk about things or issues outside of what’s written on Substack, but mostly we want this to be a place where we talk about 1-2 big, interesting, infuriating, and/or confounding news items. Those of you who love podcasts or listening to news will hopefully benefit from this form of the newsletter.<br/><br/><strong>But! We need a name for the podcast.</strong> We suggest a few in the recording, so <strong>please</strong> let us know in the comments. <br/><br/>—Michael & Melissa<br/><br/>Episode 1 notes:<br/><br/>Articles mentioned:<br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/u-s-population-growth-has-nearly-flatlined-new-census-data-shows/">U.S. population growth has nearly flatlined, new census data shows (</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/u-s-population-growth-has-nearly-flatlined-new-census-data-shows/"><em>Brookings</em></a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/u-s-population-growth-has-nearly-flatlined-new-census-data-shows/">)</a><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewforum.org/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/">About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are Now Religiously Unaffiliated (</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewforum.org/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/"><em>Pew</em></a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewforum.org/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/">)</a><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/style/carissa-schumacher-flamingo-estate-los-angeles.html">In Good Spirits (</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/style/carissa-schumacher-flamingo-estate-los-angeles.html"><em>NYT</em></a><em>)</em><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22832827/manifesting-tiktok-astroworld-conspiracy-qanon-religion">Is a new kind of religion forming on the internet? (</a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22832827/manifesting-tiktok-astroworld-conspiracy-qanon-religion"><em>Vox</em></a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22832827/manifesting-tiktok-astroworld-conspiracy-qanon-religion">)</a><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/4245467/The%20Great%20Opportunity.pdf">The Great Opportunity, Pinetops Foundation</a><br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="https://jude3project.org/">Jude 3 Project</a><br/><br/>Also, if you like this podcast and would like to support it, consider becoming a subscriber! You can still get 50% off of our annual subscription right now. <br/><br/>Get full access to Reclaiming Hope Newsletter at <a href="https://reclaiminghope.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">reclaiminghope.substack.com/subscribe</a> --- Support this podcast: <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wear-we-are/support" rel="payment">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wear-we-are/support</a>