It's a beautiful word. Maybe not as beautiful a word as White or Bird (It's a Wonderful Day... it's all right, go ahead and listen), but one should always be in wonder at the world -- if only because we DO NOT KNOW.
Events of recent weeks have left some - not many, and certainly not all - bewildered, confused, and wondering what is next to come. Life in Greece has become complicated because of their commitment to debt, and that is the only reason. Not politics, not currency, but only debt has enslaved the peoples of the southern European archipelago, and only because they continue to accept it as a constant, as a commitment, a purpose, an underlying principle of existence.
Long ago, in the days of Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras and Socrates, Greece became the cradle of Western civilization and democracy. Culture flourished with fresh ideas. Freedom of speech, freedom of identity, freedom of thought found roots, grew, and prospered.
The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.
-- Thucydides
Today, as the European Central Bank (ECB) and the IMF divvy up the remnants of a once-great culture and country, there is no secret, no happiness, no freedom. The Greeks are slaves to money, to the Euro, to the US dollar, and that condition will not change because the Greeks themselves - and all of Europe - have lost their ways, their wills, their collective courage. The 20th and 21st centuries have been witness to the willful slavery of entire populations, a kind of "Stockholm Syndrome", in which vast swaths of people are overwhelmed by money, power, greed, corruption and debauchery. It has happened before - in Rome, in London, Berlin, Tokyo - but never before has it happened as quietly and easily as today.
Without will, people have nothing. The people of Greece have no will. Even their "courageous" vote to reject the demands of their creditors a week ago was directed, will-less and rhetorical. As we have seen since then, voting meant exactly nothing, as it always has, when the choices are bad, or worse. Greece chose "bad." By decree of the technocrats and debt-holders of the EU, they are to receive "worse."
Greece Matters.
Greece matters because it is our fate, our shared existence, our future. Anyone believing that "it can't happen here," or "Greece is contained" is a dunderhead, a dolt, a fool, or a psychopath bent on escapism. The woes of Greece will visit every shore. First Europe, then South America, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, and eventually, North America. Canadians may be spared the worst of it, especially those in the hinterlands, but come it must, devour assets it must, devalue life it must. Greece is coming home to you, and me, and yours.
Not wanting to sound depressing or disheartening, but only realistic, this prose offers comfort to those who take heed. Not all is evil. There is good in the world. Life in the United States of America, for instance, has neve been more prosperous, full and enjoyable. If not for odious debt, the USA would be paradise on earth. But it is the odious debt, all $18 trillion on the official books and the countless billions in loose, unfunded liabilities such as Social Security and Medicare, that threatens with slavery of the masses. The rich will escape, virtually unharmed, The middle class will be skimmed, as always, without protection. The poor will suffer.
Central banks, which control the capital, have offered solutions. BUY STOCKS. WITH BOTH HANDS. Since March of 2009, Money Daily has been right to some degree, but wrong on a large account, decrying stocks as risky, unsound, unfair, unfulfilling, and dangerous.
Stocks, verily, the riskiest of them all, have never been more wildly valued, but they also have never been more protected than today. An article by John Hussman, here, spells out the current conditions for investment opportunities in lurid detail. While Greece may, and likely, will, get a haircut proportional to that of former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis (a complete sellout and traitor to the people of Greece), the remainder of the world does not have to suffer a similar fate.
One only has to play along with the monetary authorities and the central banks for a time, and then... release. Such an investment strategy will require a heavy doses of discipline, and certain timing, which is why most will not even try, and many of those who do will try and fail, and fail, and fail.
The lucky, the daring, the living, and the brave will survive, and prosper, but only if they act boldly, with the conviction in their heart that all is fleeting, money is worthless, and hard assets are still worth having. The single most important asset one can hold, now, and generally, throughout history, is LAND. Real Estate. It's called that because it is REAL and it is an ESTATE asset. The only liability to owning real estate is taxation, which is why the choice of purchase should be well considered, and, beyond living quarters, consist of raw acreage.
Silver and gold one can hold in one's hand, but they cannot produce a single carrot, potato, bean or spinach.
It would also be wise to have good friendships, and to nurture them, cherish them, and honor them. Good friendships will outlast all manners of currency or money, bring more joy and happiness than blood relationships, and sponsor more spiritual wealth than all the gold that even King Midas could conjure.
Good friendship is why I write, why I live, why I try to spread some wisdom, if there is any to be spread.
I have three friends. Two are dogs. The other... I leave to the imagination of the reader.
Go now. Buy stocks, and prosper. Even better, play options or bet on horses. Use massive leverage if it is available. If you lose, you can blame me, because I don't actually care. I will only be here a short while. Besides, there are countless methods for recovery. The central bankers have made it as easy as a day at the beach.
I urge everyone to become self-sufficient. Some solar power and a garden are requisite to peace and happiness.
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