"Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating. Evil when we are in its power is not felt as evil, but as a necessity, or even a duty. Humanism was not wrong in thinking that truth, beauty, liberty, and equality are of infinite value, but was wrong in thinking that we can get them for ourselves, without grace."
Simone Weil, La Pesanteur et la Grâce, 1947
"Only those who live by faith really know what is happening in the world. The great masses without faith are unconscious of the destructive processes going on. The most important problem in the world today is your soul, for that is what the struggle is about."
Fulton J. Sheen, 1947
"Evil will remain with us, no one will ever eliminate human suffering, the political arena will always attract irresponsible and ambitious adventurers and charlatans. And man will not stop destroying the world. In this regard, I have no illusions.
Neither I nor anyone else will ever win this war once and for all. At the very most, we can win a battle or two-and not even that is certain. It is an eternal, never-ending struggle waged not just by good people (among whom I count myself, more or less) against evil people, by people who think about the world and eternity against people who think only of themselves and the moment. It takes place inside everyone. It is what makes a person a person, and life, life."
Vaclav Havel, Summer Meditations, 1991
"For, in the end, the only real tragedy is not to have been a saint."
Léon Bloy, La femme pauvre
Fitch, the credit ratings agency, gave US Treasuries a downgrade last night.
As you may recall, the ratings agencies have been the servile minions of their biggest customers on Wall Street, the Funds and the Banks.
I am sure they were caught by surprise.
As if.
So the Treasury Yield Curve levitated.
The Dollar rose, which is an odd effect in the bigger picture, but short term is expected.
Gold and silver were hammered.
Stocks cratered.
There must be a Non-Farm Payrolls report in this pile somewhere, if not a pony.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
The plutocrats' transfer of wealth continues, like the shifting, whispering sands.
If you can maintain your humanity and your soul, when all else are losing theirs with abandon, you win.
Have a pleasant evening.
