There is a point in the history of society when it becomes so pathologically soft and tender that among other things it sides even with those who harm it, criminals, and does this quite seriously and honestly.
—Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil
Living through the 2020s, you have to ask whether Nietzsche foresaw what we’d go through.
In the Western world, society has become soft. It has often sided with the very things that threaten its success. Complex bureaucracy. High taxes. Ideology. Unchecked migration. Diversity over merit.
When the education system, mainstream media, public service, and government are on the side of these Marxist paradigms, the average person is afraid of stepping out of line.
The old saying rings true: ‘Whose bread I eat, his song I sing.’
The mind is willingly deceived
Image by socialneuron from Pixabay
In a Japanese experiment, 13 boys who were allergic to poison ivy had a leaf rubbed on their skin.
On one arm, they were rubbed with a poison leaf but were told it was harmless.
On the other arm, they were rubbed with a harmless leaf but were told it was poison ivy.
You guessed it. They all developed a rash on the arm where the harmless leaf was rubbed.
Yes, it’s very easy to be conditioned
You notice this with well-paid professionals. Ever come across the lawyer who is ever-suspicious and will interrogate his family? The accountant who is calculative and sees the faults in everything?
So, what about formative minds in our schools and universities?
Critical thinking can help overcome traps. If more people exercised it, our societies could be more successful and prosperous.
When it comes to investing, there is no substitute for studying, questioning, and testing a wide variety of stocks and businesses. Where is the upside? The downside? What is the margin of safety?
While you can’t stop risk events, you can become a smarter investor.
The growth mindset
Some people believe their level of thinking and intelligence is fixed. I do not.
If you’ve ever navigated your way around London in a car, you’ll know how complex the road network is. I once decided to drive across the city without using the M25 ring-road. It felt like a life-and-death struggle!
Image by Mary Gorobchenko from Pixabay
To become a London taxi driver, you need to pass a series of exams called ‘The Knowledge’.
A study of these drivers discovered larger memory centres in their brains.
This suggests something profound.
The brain can be expanded by training and practice. The acquisition of deep knowledge means it never returns to its same dimension.
Challenging economic rot
America leads the free world. It wasn’t going in a great direction. Illegal immigration endangered the integrity of the union. Progressive activism challenged the values the country was built on.
Then comes Trump round two, in a decisive electoral victory.
It seems he has changed. And so too has the country. They are both doing what America does best. Renewing and reinventing to survive and flourish. Like the golden Reagan days of my childhood when the Berlin Wall came down. Life was full of prosperity and hope.
Source: Pixabay
But this also demonstrates something else that is needed.
In soft times, courage to oppose destructive forces is in short supply. Sometimes that courage comes from unlikely quarters. When Elon Musk, the world’s leading entrepreneur, came out behind Trump, a force to reckon with was created in the form of DOGE.
This leadership has set a benchmark for others.
Europe is now far behind. Bureaucracy continues to strangle the Continent’s economies. Taxes are too high to grow businesses. Government crowds out the productive sector. There are too many state employees and too many entitlements that saddle taxpayers.
Having just spent a month in Italy, I could feel this viscerally in my conversations with frustrated Italians.
Australia and New Zealand are in similar mire
Here in New Zealand, we also face growing racial divisions. The belief that people have different rights based on their ancestry. Many in the media and elite institutions side with this view.
But it disincentivises productive people. It encourages them to move away.
Meanwhile, the state and its army of regulators still crowd-out and asphyxiate private business.
Source: Charted Daily / X
Why is there a shortage of great financial options in New Zealand?
Why is everything from a home to a block of cheese so expensive?
Clearly, having ~9% of people work for the government hasn’t helped. It has probably made it worse.
Investors need freedom and equality to build prosperity. They need to know that when they invest in or start a business, they will be undeterred from having a good crack at success.
That’s what’s on this investor’s mind.
Regards,
Simon Angelo
Editor, Wealth Morning
(This article is the author’s personal opinion and commentary only. It is general in nature and should not be construed as any financial or investment advice. Please contact a licensed Financial Advice Provider to discuss your personal situation. Wealth Morning offers Managed Account Services for Wholesale or Eligible investors as defined in the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.)