The deal makers in Washington have until roughly the end of this week to tip their hands on the short term resolution of the 'fiscal cliff.'
These markets are a bit silly, matching some of the commentary I am seeing at various places around the web and in the media.
This is a good time of year to remind ourselves of our mutual dependencies, and our own weaknesses which are so easily overlooked, especially in a culture that favors swagger and arrogance. Empires seem to thrive on the will to power.
"Christianity is called the religion of pity. Pity stands opposed to the powerful emotions which heighten our vitality; it has a depressing effect. We are deprived of strength when we feel pity...As you may recall, Nietzsche ended up in an insane asylum, and his philosophy of the blood, of the Übermenschen, and of the triumph of the will, turned Europe into an asylum of madness as well, for a time.
What is good? All that heightens the feeling of power in a man, the will to power, power itself. What is bad? All that is born of weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome."
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist
