Reflections LXVII - Insights Unlimited

By the very nature of the election cycle that eschews the boldness of action democracies tend to cement themselves along the axis where its leaders are at best mediocre.

The story of human history is that of leaders acting on a poverty of information. Strong leaders win as they are less impoverished in knowledge than their antagonists.

The Russian survival instinct historically is to cultivate a misery that can be spread with interest to their opponents.

It is only natural that the brave Persian people should seek to overthrow the yoke of a belief system enforced on them by conquest. This sits at their heart of the rebellion against the Islamist overlords.

I seek a world where many of the so-called cultural acting elites can return to their role as court jesters and entertainers rather than political know-it-alls.

The flaw in Laissez-Faire Free Enterprise is that there is no built-in safeguard that the market can invoke to protect themselves from the cutthroat monopolist. This is why it inevitably relies on the mechanism of good government. Unfortunately the latter has become all too scarce.

The doctrine of the welfare state will ultimately crumble as it is predicated on human decency and contentment. Both of these are easily steamrolled by greed.

It is a sad quirk of history that the only time the Indian sub-continent was united under a single authority was during the British Raj.

It astounds me as to how few people are aware of how close Fascism is to Socialism in terms of economics. Benito Mussolini and Oswald Mosley were at one point socialists. Peron oscillated between the two. So did many Nazis including the Strasser brothers and Goebbels. At their core they are both statist and advocate for coercion based politics

Reflections LXVI - Riding the Rhinoceros

Never underestimate the ability of an intellectual to rationalize stupidity.

The only aspect we know of the afterlife is the strong likelihood that all current models of it are probably dead wrong.

Never adhere to a belief system that rewards you with pleasures in the next life that it fervently denies you in this. Such a doctrinal take is the surest indicator of a con job.

It is a living reality that despite their credentials many professionals are sub-optimum practitioners of their trade.

As a client the most vital skill that one can develop is a sense of sorting out this tail end of the distribution from the real gems.

The most unfair fight in recent memory is that between social media and humility.

If believing in Christ ensures salvation then there is apparently very little work or indeed repentance that the sinner needs to avail themselves of. I could be missing something here but this does seem to be the kink in the smoothness of the doctrinal argument.

I still don’t see how any human – burdened unfortunately  by flaws- can arise to the level of Messiah. The aspirations almost guarantee failure and disappointment.

The problem with population decline is that it appears to be negatively impacting the most gifted disproportionally

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Reflections LXV - Legalized Entropy

A  disturbing aspect of Europe’s rapid descent into mayhem and pathos is that almost all of it is self-inflicted.

China’s greatest advantage in its struggle against the west is not that it has a superior product or way of life, but that it fundamentally believes in itself.

Never underestimate the ability of an intellectual to rationalize a comfortable stupidity.

The only aspect we know for sure of the afterlife, is the strong likelihood that all current models of it are dead wrong.

Always be skeptical of a belief system that rewards you with pleasures in the next life, that it fervently denies you in this. Such a doctrinal take is the surest indicator of a con job.

It is a living reality that despite their credentials many professionals are sub-optimum practitioners of their trade. As a client the most vital skill that one can hone is the development of an innate sense of sorting out this tail end of the distribution from the real gems.

The most unfair fight in recent memory is between social media and personal humility.

Societies that don’t believe in themselves will further compound the problem by electing into leadership figures who further exasperate the sentiment.

Reflections LXIV - Treading through the Turmoil

Most reported news in the contemporary  media is narrative driven. Much of it is downright lies and if it does carry elements of truth, one has to be cognizant to employ the necessary thinking skills to navigate the bias. There are however islands of sanity still surviving in the deluge of dross. The key is finding then.

It is rather hilarious to see state governments that refuse to recognize Israel’s existence showing tantrums over the country’s recognition of Somaliland. The lack of awareness of an obvious irony is indicative of the mess that is modern global politics.

The unfortunate reality of post-colonialism is the establishment of a multitude of failed states.

The Iranian Revolution of 2026 is a litmus test for morality which is why it has been so loathed by many on the political extremes - the same extremes that shelter the detritus of destructive idea.

From  China’s perspective it is easy to see why they fear encirclement. Historical foibles and power clashes have given them enemies in all directions – Russia to the North, India to the South, Japan to the East and the Muslim world to the West.  They have cultivated alliances with some of these parties over time but the power keg is easily refueled by long term animosities.

If Empires have a drive to exist  that may survive foreign invasion but they cannot evade the destructive effect of demographic turmoil. The people are always the nation’s greatest resource. Resource poor countries like Israel demonstrate this. Leaders that turn their back on the populace (as is the case with many a tyrant or inept politician) will ultimately destroy any legacy that they seek to achieve. The Russian leadership’s ill-treatment of its own population will self defeat any perceived progress.

To the Far Left everything is political and power is the eventual aim. Nothing exists outside the political realm and all action is a means to an end.

The primary function of the BBC has been consistent over time– to protect the establishment from the popular voice of the people. The Beeb has perfected the role of hiding the truth behind a veneer of officialdom. Orwell saw this decade

Reflections LXIII - Politics, History and Life

It is so tragic seeing the great buildings, superstructures and historical landmarks of Europe knowing that the civilization that resides on the continent is closing in on the terminal point of its accelerated decline. Without the Judeo-Christian soul it will in the far future become a footnote like the Mayans, Incas and Mesopotamians.

 The role of the elite has always been the same throughout history, to enslave the masses to the system they dominate. Opponents of elitism will over time become the elites they disdain thereby perpetuating the same system. There is no break to the cycle as there is no impetus for those who disdain such a cycle to break from it.  

The only freedom that matters is freedom of mind. Without this essence one is still enslaved.

A man has to take care of his family first. There is no other greater or more important role.

The main problem with Tariffs is that they are subject to the boomerang effect that multiplies their excesses in the worst possible ways. Ultimately it is this truism that ought to consign them to the scrap heap of bad economic policy. However the temptation by politicians to use them to appeal to local populist sentiments means that they are constantly resurrected by a combination of any branding necessary. They are the economic  version of Friday the 13th part n.

False dichotomies are typical of the narrative battle....two alternatives are seen as the only differentials....a classic example is the America First versus Israel first debate which is nothing more than a false flag to splinter voices on the right. One can support Israel and America and be critical of either on a purely good faith level. There is also a continuum of thought.

One has to step away from social media to maintain a degree of clear thought. It is also important to consume information that is conducive for the development of the mind. Much of social media is toxic fast food that ultimately draws at one’s life force.

Anti-Semitism has been mainstreamed by nefarious actors, bot farms  and a growing movement of voices eager to find a scapegoat for their respective problems and shortfalls. A large degree of anti-Semitic rhetoric online comes from the Middle East, China and other parts of Asia.

Are Conservatives (in the West) on the wrong side of history?

  Of all the oft-repeated myths regarding Conservatives, this one, in my opinion, is just the silliest. Yet I hear it all the time. History, just like evolution, has no specified direction. There is no end goal. Yes, I understand that the concept comes from the Hegelian understanding of history, but this is so vague in that it can be interpreted in any way that lines up with the confirmation bias of the proponent. For Hegel, the Prussian state was the ideal that history was marching towards; for Left Hegelians, it was the classless society (or a version thereof), and for Nazis, it was a Third Reich with Lebensraum.

History is not marching to a preordained beat as though it was intentionally designed to do so. File this wishful thinking. Events happen, and we, as a society and a civilization, respond to them. Perceived trajectories are constantly in a state of flux.

Does humanity need religion for its values, or can we obtain these from secular-based philosophy?

 The answer is both yes and no. Opinions will differ based on what type of society we personally prefer living in.

What is certain, though, is that if we wish to replace one value system with another, we better make sure that the alternative system has empirical worth. The burial grounds of the planet are littered with the victims of failed ideologies.