As you are reading this I am likely flying over the Mediterranean on my way to Israel. It’s a Holy Land trip. I know it will be hard on a lot of you for me to be incommunicado for 10 days, but seriously, some of you need to get a life. I’m ok with y’all calling me and emailing me asking me to unlock the keys to the universe and how to achieve eternal happiness but calling me to ask what you should wear to work is a bit much. And you ladies, always asking for dating advice! Remember, all men are pigs. Once you understand our primal nature, you will be able to get along with us.
Since I can’t take your calls, I will just go ahead and put the universe on a platter for you. Not only will you be happy and likely rich one day, but the world will likely be saved from nuclear Armageddon. One of the reasons I buy into the tenets of Christianity is because it recognizes our flawed human character and “the way” we can overcome our innate deficiencies. If the ancient Jews were making up their religion from whole cloth to impress us, they could have used a better public relations firm. Instead, in the Old Testament, they let it all hang out. These holy scriptures were not written to impress us, but to tell us about ourselves. Virtually every story is about some joker who is flawed and does something stupid. This is authenticity, and this is what makes it real. The New Testament is chalk full of references to a singular message. We can go one of two ways, to the light or to the darkness, and we need to be very mindful of our innate flaws and what forces we let seep into our consciousness.
Genesis (and other biblical references) state that we are made in the image of God, but then we had “the fall,” which separated us from God. Metaphorical, allegorical, literal, how many angels can dance……, it doesn’t matter. Human nature. We all have the same wiring. Throughout the ages it never changes and never will. All economics, all investment decisions, all social and civic decisions stem from this ball of wiring in our heads that can, if managed well, light up the world, or if not, can fritz out, blow a fuse and cause a giant conflagration.
If God is anything, He is reason. Being made in his image, but for our selfishness, we too are reason, we are made this way. Aristotle who was not a Jew or a Christian recognized that reason allowed us to live a practical and worthwhile life and steered us away from our own destructive selfishness. Now why do I mention all this? Reason is critical thinking, it is the opposite of group think, tribalism and mass formation delusions.
Take my friend John Tamny. He’s kind of like John the Baptist along the banks of the Jordan screaming in the wilderness. He’s unafraid to shout out his reasoning even though it goes against the grain of the “economic” Pharisees and Sadducees, our well educated and very smug elites. Many might disagree with John, but do they make their protestations with reason, or do they just cling to tribalism and adhere to the official line of their tribe? I say the latter. The climatic pinnacle of reason is truth. Once truth is known, is it not cowardly to hide from it?
We have a political class that is hell bent on dividing us and sowing discord. Why? Because it benefits them. Are they listening to the forces of light or of darkness? Clearly the latter. And when these actions are so clearly obvious, why is it that so many “line-up” with the bad guys, the purveyors of hate and destruction?
Personally, I think the past Great Awakenings and religious revivals we have had have been very good for the structure of our civil society. They imbue their adherents to recognize the duality of man. We are capable of great good, but also great evil. Having this most important awareness allows citizens to pierce through the manufactured gibberish of public policy and discern the selfishness or even outright malevolence of the proponents of such polices. Understanding the motivations that drive our elites also helps us understand ourselves, to temper our selfish desires and hopefully move towards our better angels.
You might say, ok Smith, thanks for the philosophy lesson, but I am reading Real Clear Markets because I want to make money, and I say this. Making not good, but the very best investment decision is based on REASON, and one cannot reason well without the consciousness to filter out the destructive elements of our human nature. It’s that simple. It is always that simple. It’s just a hard thing to do.
If you have been reading my columns you know by now that in addition to being extremely modest, I am pretty much the smartest man that ever lived. However, during the “plandemic,” I could not figure out why millions of people were so submissive. Like lambs to the slaughter, they just accepted the dictates of our idiot political class, despite the sheer lunacy of their policies. Despite their ultra-evil power grab. Why, I wondered? It was frustrating. I didn’t know the answer. I then turned to an old friend, Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, written by Charles Mackey, a Scotsman in 1841. People do the stupidest things merely because others are being stupid. Like dancing uncontrollably until dropping dead of exhaustion because others can’t stop dancing either (in the book). So if our human condition allows us to do things this stupid in order to feel comfortable fitting into the crowd, imagine how stupid, i.e. lacking of reason, accepted public policy, economic theories and so called “science” can be.
I then discovered Dr. Matthias Desmet and his theory of Mass Formation Psychosis. Wow. He explains how politicians spread fear and false crises and how the fearful attach themselves to the fearmongers. Then to assuage their insecurity, do whatever the fearmongers say. Then if they ever realize truth, they are afraid to disclose it out of social pressure. I don’t think I have ever sought answers and received them more thoroughly and convincingly.
So folks, do you want to be a John Tamny, someone who can think and reason for himself, or do you want to continue to be part of the fearful groupthink mob, incapable of reason, believing what your particular tribe thinks is fashionable and never climbing the summit to reach the truth?
To get started, take an established principle preached by our expert class (politicians, economists, media, etc.), check your inherent prejudices, look at the motives of the proponents of such “established principle” and argue the other side. This is how reason works, and it is the absolute key to every good decision ever made.
Now that I have given you the secret to eternal happiness (who doesn’t want to be like John Tamny), please let reason dictate the amount of money you should wire me.
