Aaron Bushnell
"They live out their days in prosperity, and slide peacefully down into hell."
Job 21:13
"If at the start this cancerous growth in the nation was not particularly noticeable, it was only because there were still enough forces at work that operated for the good, so that it was kept under control. As it grew larger, however, and finally in an ultimate spurt of growth attained ruling power, the tumor broke open, as it were, and infected the whole body.
Now the end is at hand. Now it is our task to find one another again, to spread information from person to person, to keep a steady purpose, and to allow ourselves no rest until the last man is persuaded of the urgent need of his struggle against this system. When thus a wave of unrest goes through the land, when 'it is in the air,' when many join the cause, then in a great final effort this system can be shaken off. After all, an end in terror is preferable to terror without end."
The White Rose, Second Leaflet, Munich, March 1942
"I wonder whether people who ask God to intervene openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it or not."
C. S. Lewis 1944
“The real damage is done by those millions who want to 'get by.' The ordinary men who just want to be left in peace. Those who don’t want their lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. Those with no sides and no causes. Those who won’t take measure of their own strength, for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. Those who don’t like to make waves—or enemies. Those for whom freedom, honour, truth, and principles are only literature. Those who live small, love small, die small.
But it’s all an illusion, because they die too, those people who roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe. Safe?! From what? Life is always on the edge of death; narrow streets lead to the same place as wide avenues, and a little candle burns itself out just like a flaming torch does.
I choose my own way to burn.”
Sophie Scholl
US airman Aaron Bushnell, who recently and quite literally chose his own way to burn, asked this question, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?'
To this one might add, 'What would I do if I was alive during the time of the Antichrist?'
C. S. Lewis made a poignant observation about this in his 1944 observations which were published as a book, Mere Christianity.
"I wonder whether people who ask God to intervene openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like. That will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it or not."
And many will play their sure thing and cry out on that day, Lord, Lord! And we have been told what his response will be, depending on who we have followed, and what we have done.
Exceptionalism. The daughter of Pride and delusion.
A sure fire way to reorder our priorities, to achieve the maximum amount of damage and regret.
Oh please, Jesse. Don't start talking now about the end of time. That's just a fairy tale.
And one might retort, 'Point taken. But what about the end of your time?' Timing aside, that seems like a sure thing.
Stocks managed to hold a bounce today ahead of the incoming economic data for the rest of the week.
Gold and silver took a little hit, very traditional for the day after a Comex option expiration, even a very quiet one.
VIX has now fallen down to its 50 day moving average.
The Dollar was flat.
Let's see what happens, and where we may be going.
Quo vadis, Domine?
Have a pleasant evening.
