“People with advantages are loathe to believe that they just happen to be people with advantages. They come readily to define themselves as inherently worthy of what they possess; they come to believe themselves 'naturally' elite; and, in fact, to imagine their possessions and their privileges as natural extensions of their own elite selves.”
C. Wright Mills, The Power Elite, April 1956
“An inflated consciousness is always egocentric and conscious of nothing but its own existence. It is incapable of learning from the past, incapable of understanding contemporary events, and incapable of drawing right conclusions about the future. It is hypnotized by itself and cannot be argued with. It dooms itself to calamities that strike it dead."
Carl Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, 1944
“Pride is the beginning of sin. It was pride that changed angels into devils, and it is humility that makes men angels. There never has been, and never can be, any sin without pride."
Augustine, City of God and On Nature and Grace
"Almighty God lets the sinner go his own way, for He has given to man free-will, and does not want a forced obedience, but an obedience springing from love. In his forgetfulness of God, the sinner squanders his fortune, the natural and supernatural gifts which he has received, using his natural gifts, his health, his physical powers, and his reason, to offend God.
The sinner falls under the dominance of Satan, and becomes the slave of his lowest passions, which are signified by the swine which the prodigal was forced to feed. But the more he obeys his passions, the more dissatisfied he becomes. He feels an emptiness and spiritual hunger in his heart which he is powerless to satisfy. He only knows that he is miserable, and hateful to himself."
Friedrich Justus Knecht, The Prodigal Son, 1910
“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 1944
Stocks were dropping harder today, and have made lower lows, erasing the phony rally triggered by Trump's announcement of a ceasefire.
Will we see another insider trading opportunity set up for Monday. One can only wonder,
Gold and silver bounced after the drubbing they took in observance of the Comex option expiration.
Bitcoin has fallen back down to the bottom of the trading range it has been in since early February.
Why this back and forth in crypto? I assume the players on the Street have noticed this, and are banging that back and forth like an ATM.
VIX climbed but is nowhere near the panic level.
The Dollar latched back on to the 100 handle.
I have marked the 20 and 30 percent decline levels on the SP500 and NDX charts. There is also an open gap on the SP500 down there.
I would not hazard to make a guess how this weekend will go. Who was the last person to talk to Donald?
Need little, want less, love more. For those who abide in love abide in God, and God in them.
Next week is Holy Week.
Have a pleasant weekend.
