"Faustus, who embraced evil and shunned righteousness, became the foremost symbol of the misuse of free will, that sublime gift from God with its inherent opportunity to choose virtue and reject iniquity. Faustus had advanced beyond the level of a scarlet sinner — he was a conscious follower of the Prince of Darkness. For what does it profit a man— but for a notorious name, the ethereal shadow of a career, and a brief life of fleeting pleasure with no true peace?
Hell for all eternity for so little in exchange. The fact he could publicly project an Antichrist image with pride, having no fear of reprisal, and his seeming diabolical art of escaping all punishment, would certainly signal that an unnatural individual walked in their midst.
It is true in many respects he assumed the role of the charlatan, yet how apropos, considering his willingness to follow the Father of Lies and deception. A life of good or evil, the hope of Heaven or the despair of Hell, Faustus stands as a reminder that the choice between these two absolutes also falls to us.
The lofty mind of man can be imprisoned by the artifices of its own making. If there are damned souls in Hell, it is because men blind themselves.”
E.A. Bucchianeri, Faust: My Soul Be Damned for the World
"For this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. It will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last for ever. We must take it or leave it."
C. S. Lewis, 1944
"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my father in heaven."
Matthew 7:21-23
The economic data this morning was apparently good for the US Dollar and not so good for Europe.
So the Dollar soared, and interest rates on US Treasuries climbed.
The broad stock market, such as the Russell 2000 and the SP 500 sold off hard.
The Tech heavy Nasdaq 100 managed to climb into the green.
Gold and silver were hit hard.
What do we make of this?
The market moves were so out of proportion to the data that it seems more like a hangover from last week's market moving expiration and end of quarter.
Since the brinksmanship of the House brat pack has passed without effect once again, we may be receiving a Non-Farm Payrolls report on Friday.
Let's see where they are going with all these.
I can only express disappointment that once again the corporate Democrats have felt our pain, but done little to nothing to promote financial or market reforms.
Disappointments all around really. But such are the times.
When you think back on things that were very important to you at the beginning of your career, or in college or high school, do you now see in retrospect how inconsequential and relatively trivial and unimportant these things were?
And when you stand at the end of your life, without embellishment or ornament or baggage, before the unfailing eye of eternity and judgement, what then do you think will matter to you most?
Have a pleasant evening.
