I was lucky enough to see with my own eyes the recent stock-market crash, where they lost several billion dollars, a rabble of dead money that went sliding off into the sea. Never as then, amid suicides, hysteria, and groups of fainting people, have I felt the sensation of real death, death without hope, death that is nothing but rottenness, for the spectacle was terrifying but devoid of greatness. I felt something like a divine urge to bombard that whole canyon of shadow, where ambulances collected suicides whose hands were full of rings."
Federico Garcia Lorca, A Poet In New York, October 1929
"The inability to identify with others was unquestionably the most important psychological condition for the fact that something like Auschwitz could have occurred in the midst of more or less civilized and innocent people. What is called 'fellow traveling' (enabling and collaboration) was primarily a commercial interest: one pursues one’s own advantage before all else and, simply not to endanger oneself, does not talk too much. That is a general law of the status quo.
The coldness of a society of the isolated competitor was the precondition as indifference to the fate of others. Regressive tendencies, that is, people with repressed sadistic traits, are produced everywhere today by the global evolution of society. Everywhere where it is mutilated, consciousness is reflected back in an unfree form that tends toward violence. One of the greatest impulses of Christianity, not immediately identical with its dogma, was to eradicate the coldness that permeates everything. But this attempt failed; surely because it did not reach into the societal order that produces and reproduces that coldness."
Theodore Adorno, neo-Marxist philosopher, Erziehung nach Auschwitz, 1966
"Humanism was not wrong in thinking that truth, beauty, liberty, and equality are of infinite value, but it was wrong in thinking that we can get them for ourselves without grace."
Simone Weil, La Pesanteur et la grâce, posthume 1947
In trying to follow God's will, we all overcomplicate our part. It is not a bad thing, just a thing that we do in day to day life as 'problem solvers' that gets in the way of serving a higher power. It is a matter shifting gears from one thing to another. The mix between faith and free will is a life long study.
Don't get discouraged about the 'what' and think more about the 'how.' Start with doing little things, but with great love for His sake in faith and gratitude, and keep going.
As the apostle John himself said around 100 AD, as related by the father of the church Origen of Alexandria in the second century and picked up by Jerome in the 4th century:
The blessed John the Evangelist lived in Ephesus until extreme old age. His disciples could barely carry him to church and he could not muster the voice to speak many words. During individual gatherings he usually said nothing but, 'Little children, love one another.'
The disciples and brothers in attendance, annoyed because they always heard the same words, finally said, 'Teacher, why do you always say this?' He replied with a line worthy of John: 'Because it is the Lord's commandment, and if it alone is kept, it is sufficient.'"
Jerome, Commentary on Galatians, 4th century
Could this be any more simple and clear? You are most likely not here to build a monument, or a lead a great crusade, or gain and acclaim. Not a Saint with a capital 'S'. If you are then God will let you know. But you are commanded to live each moment with God's grace, and do ordinary, simple things but with great love.
I have been at this for about thirty years now in a focused way. I asked God to show me all my sins so I may be sorry for them now, and not later on. And he is still at it, feeding them to me little by little as I can accept the knowledge and learn from it.
A notable 'Someone', whom I admire very much, read my work that had been shared by a friend, and recently asked me 'what have you done, that I must be someone.' And I said no, I am just a man, and not a particularly good one. And that was it.
I am obscure, by God's great kindness and tender mercy. I have had my fifteen minutes, and it is hollow and a snare. If I do any good it is hidden from me. I struggle, every day, to have ill will towards no one, to perform little acts of kindness for all God's creatures with little thanks, and pray for the salvation of even the most vexing and offensive of sinners to extinguish any anger that creeps in the heart.
I am just one among many. I diminish with age. And I accept it. And I am grateful for all I have. Having lost much, now I can see them more clearly.
And I am slowly beginning to understand His mercy. Little things, but with great love. And that is enough.
Stocks flopped today after the insider trading exercise yesterday announcing a phony truce.
Iran is not going to settle, except for strong internationally backed guarantees. Why would they? Would you?
Gold and silver were smacked around a little more, with gold taking the brunt of it with its April contract options coming due on the 26th.
The Dollar is hanging around the mid 99 handle. The DXY index is so heavily weighted to the Euro that the failing leadership of the European Union is making it look better than it is.
VIX looks like it might be coiling here.
Bitcoin is obviously locked into a trading range since the beginning of February. Take a look at the chart below if you don't know this. They are just moving Bitcoin around the plate trying to skin specs and daytraders.
If the market crashes, Bitcoin is going down for the count, and unlike gold and silver I don't see how it is going to come back without official help.
Trump's 'Five Day Pause' expires after the market close on Friday. US has troops moving into position.
Draw your own conclusions and take it from there
The Trump Administration is dancing on a volcano. One leg is on Iran, and the other leg is on the Ukraine.
Madness.
Have a pleasant evening.
