Rise, and Rise Again

It’s time for a bit of resurrection of our own. [The Rude Awakening] April 06, 2023 [WEBSITE]( | [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Rise, and Rise Again - This weekend is Easter weekend. - It’s time for a bit of resurrection of our own. - There will be a Rude this Friday and Monday. [DEADLY Secret Biden Doesn’t Want You To Know]( [Click here to learn more]( While Biden, AOC and the rest of the Dems will swear up and down that “green energy” is a godsend that will cure all of the world’s energy problems… [The truth is MUCH more sinister…]( In fact, not only is “green energy” completely unreliable… It’s also DANGEROUS in ways they WON’T tell you about! [Click here NOW to learn the TRUTH, before it’s too late](. [Click Here To Learn More]( [Sean Ring] SEAN RING It’s a fine Thursday here in Asti, and I can’t wait for the long weekend. I published this piece last year, just before Easter. It received much positive feedback, so I thought I’d rerun it. —— The bells rang as Micah ran around with the local kids in the Piazza San Secondo this evening. It was 7 pm, so I quietly counted to myself the seven bells. It occurred to me that I hadn’t heard church bells in ages - not even in the Catholic Philippines. I don’t want to get overly misty about it, but hearing the bells clanging was just… nice. After gnawing on my white pizza - I can’t get enough of the stuff - I let the food, drink, and sounds wash over me. Since we’re supposed to celebrate a resurrection this weekend, we may as well consider one for ourselves. I’m not a theologian, so I’ll leave the body and blood to your priest or other spiritual advisors. (Although Pascal had it right with his wager: if the only thing you need to do to get a glimpse of the Beatific Vision is to believe, then why not believe?) For this Rude, I’ll use philosophy rather than theology to make my point. The Ship of Theseus This is one of my favorite thought experiments and perhaps the oldest in metaphysics. From [Wikipedia]( The particular "Ship of Theseus" version of the thought puzzle was first introduced in Greek legend as reported by the historian, biographer, and essayist Plutarch: The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned from Crete had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their places, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same. — Plutarch, Theseus Plutarch thus questions whether the ship would remain the same if it were entirely replaced, piece by piece. Let’s loosely extend this concept to ourselves - and I’m not talking about body parts. But what about replacing the parts of yourself you think are substandard with better parts? For instance, you may not think you’re great with money. Is that a life sentence? Of course not! Just start learning what you need to know about investing better. Perhaps you’re not entrepreneurial enough in your own eyes? Start that side hustle you always wanted to. Maybe you’re not as in shape as you’d like to be… Start experimenting with ways to improve your physique. The point is that it doesn’t matter if Theseus’s Ship is the original. You know who you are - and there’s only one “you.” So if you replace your substandard characteristics with improved ones, you become a better version of yourself. And that’s all that matters. [Urgent Notice From Paradigm CIO Zach Scheidt!]( Hi, Zach Scheidt here… I’m the Chief Income Officer at Paradigm Press. With inflation raging (and showing no signs of coming to an end any time soon), almost everyone in America is feeling the pain in a big way. Which is why, several months ago, I set out on a big mission… my goal was to create a [complete, step-by-step plan to surviving and beating inflation]( one that anyone could take advantage of. Today, after hundreds of hours of research, I’m revealing all of my findings. [Simply click here now to see how to survive America’s deadly inflation crisis](. [Click Here To Learn More]( Tools in Your Toolbox The question is “how,” as in, “How do I do that?” After many years of failing, I’ve happened upon the one surefire method of getting good at something. You must eliminate all other things you’re trying to get a hold of. For instance, I’d get excited about learning how to play chess. I’d buy loads of lessons and get started. Then I’d think, “I can learn to code.” And I’d start a few lessons. And then I’d think, “I bet I can learn the ukulele.” And I actually bought one once! Needless to say, I can’t play chess to save my soul. Nor can I code or play an instrument. It was too much, too soon. Take Steve Jobs’s advice on this, though he was talking about products: People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying “no” to 1,000 things. It works the same way with your goal. Pick one. Eliminate the rest for now. For instance, I’m only learning Italian for the next six months. [Editor’s Note: I’m still learning Italian. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.] Nothing else exists - except Pam, Micah, and the Rude. No other lessons or ideas, just learning Italian. It must be this way. Replace one plank of your ship at a time. Shifting Environments But one thing we all must do is be patient with ourselves, especially when it comes to the environment. One of the reasons I like living outside the major cities is that I experienced firsthand how impossible it is to save money while living in them. Warren Buffett says his first rule is “Don’t lose money.” But here’s an ugly back-of-the-envelope calculation: If you pay out 30% in tax and costs rise 10% yearly, you’re down 40% on January 1st. How can anyone get their heads above water when the math is against them? And that’s why it’s so important to be patient. While I’m all for elbow grease and persistence, the cards are stacked against everyone but the oligarchs, plutocrats, and public sector union employees. So be patient with yourself. Everything takes more time and costs more than you initially planned. Wrap Up I don’t mean to get preachy on this day before Good Friday, but I feel delighted and lucky, and I want to pass that on to you. The sky is the limit, though the government is trying to ban aspiration. It reminds me of Ferrari in Casablanca when he said to Laszlo, “I might as well be frank, monsieur. It would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles.” Maybe that’s so, but one must circumvent the government when necessary. And that time is now. I’ll leave you with this image from the movie Robin Hood (2010): [pub] Be a lion. And have a wonderful Easter weekend! All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening In Case You Missed It… Nato: Not Quite Finnished Yet [Sean Ring] SEAN RING Happy Hump Day from another sunny day in Northern Italy. Pam, Micah, and I will head to Tuscany for the long weekend. If you join us on the Rickards Uncensored broadcast on Thursday - moved from Friday - we’ll get a bottle of Chianti in. I haven’t been to Florence in nearly twenty years, so I look forward to revisiting my favorite sites. But we’ll also be taking in Siena and San Gimignano, two places I haven’t visited before. I’ll give you a full report on the Tuscan excursion next week. Let’s turn our attention to more end-of-the-world matters. Finland has officially joined NATO. Entangling Alliances I’m sure I’m supposed to be excited about this, but some guy named Washington warned us against “entangling alliances.” In Washington’s Farewell Address, he said: The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities... it is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing infidelity to existing engagements. Of course, he was talking about the newly formed United States vis-à-vis Europe. But I always thought this was wise universal advice. Washington knew the US would eventually be dragged into alliances, but had hoped for a [twenty-year interval of peace.]( If the world had listened to him, idiotic conflicts like World War I would never have happened. How the West Got Lost From [History.com]( on how World War I started: After the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand came the July crisis. During this month, Austria-Hungary issued a list of demands to Serbia. Serbia, knowing that it could expect support from Russia as a fellow-Slavic state, refused to give in to one of the key demands. Austria-Hungary confirmed with Germany that it would receive its support if it went to war, and Russia did the same with France. But on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Over the next week and a half, Germany declared war on Russia and France, Britain declared war on Germany, and Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia. The justification that Britain gave for entering the war didn’t even have to do with its Triple Entente with France and Russia—it had to do with [the] much older Treaty of London (also called the First Treaty of London) from 1839 that mandated Belgium should always be a neutral state. When Britain entered the war, it argued that Germany had violated this treaty by invading Belgium. Over the next four years, many other nations entered the war. Japan joined the Allies at the end of August 1914. In November, the Ottoman Empire joined the Central Powers. The next year, Italy joined the war to fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary, with whom it had previously formed an alliance. In 1917, the United States joined the Allies. It doesn’t get much dumber than that. How many excellent young men were sacrificed on the altar of hesitant leadership? Why did no one repudiate these alliances? [Breaking: Did Biden Really Blow Up Nord Stream?!]( New evidence has just been released the all but PROVES a shocking truth… President Biden gave the green light to blow up Russia’s Nord Stream Pipeline! According to [this shocking new expose]( Crippling fuel shortages… widespread “Biden blackouts”… and energy bills rocketing to $1000… Are about to hit American shores as a result. [Click here to learn the TRUTH about Nord Stream and how it will impact YOU](. [Click Here To Learn More]( No One Questions NATO NATO was founded on April 4, 1949. As its first Secretary General said, its mission was "to keep the Soviets out, the Americans in, and the Germans down." It made total sense, then. I’m not sure how much sense it makes now. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this was an escalation of tensions, not a cooling of them. @Henrick_Palmgren tweeted, “So it's done, the ceremony of the accession of Finland into NATO has taken place. Below is much of the extent of the ritual around it. Note that Finland has to deposit their documents of accession to the U.S. Government via Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This tells you everything you need to know about what NATO is and who controls it.” Jeffrey Sachs was making fun of the USG, thanks to the security arrangement China made with the Solomon Islands, and comparing that with the Finland situation: [SJN]( Credit and watch the clip here: [@zei_squirrel]( Finland, a strategic partner of NATO for decades, finally codified its relationship with the alliance. (Those mustard-colored aspiring members are Sweden (top), Ukraine (center), Georgia (right), and Bosnia (left). [pub]( Credit: [The Times of London]( If you still can’t see why Russia would be opposed to Finland’s accession, here’s another way of looking at it via [@realstewpeters]( [pub] Credit: [@realstewpeters]( The Finnish have a long history of being brave fighters. Here’s an accounting of what they’re bringing to the table: [pub] Credit: [The Times of London]( Sanna Marin is Out, But Not Over This You may have heard Sanna Marin, the now-outgoing Finnish Prime Minister, lost the election. But it’s not that simple. Her party actually gained seats in the Finnish parliament. It’s just that some parties gained a bunch more. All the main parties that would or could participate in a coalition government are now pretty rabidly pro-NATO. This is a marked change from twenty years ago when only 9% of Finns surveyed thought Finland should join NATO. That number is now 59%. When I debated a Finn on Twitter yesterday, he was adamant he felt safer in NATO than outside of it. I asked him if he thought US troops would come to the rescue (something I absolutely don’t believe). He wrote back: It’s because Russia only speaks power and knows it doesn’t stand a chance against NATO in a conventional war. They take risks and miscalculate, but they aren’t stupid. Yeah, we can say ”US troops” but there’s much more. Wrap Up Well, there you have it. Finland is in, the Russians are down, and the Americans are happy. Somehow, I feel no safer today than I did two days ago. Have a great day ahead. [SJN] All the best, [Sean Ring] Sean Ring Editor, Rude Awakening [Paradigm]( ☰ ⊗ [ARCHIVE]( [ABOUT]( [Contact Us]( © 2023 Paradigm Press, LLC. 808 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore MD 21202. By submitting your email address, you consent to Paradigm Press, LLC. delivering daily email issues and advertisements. 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