On 10/11/26

Daily Letter

Inspiration & Quotes

There’s a bit that shows up frequently in Looney Tunes where Bugs Bunny will be in an argument and he will suddenly reverse his position, so that the other character assumes the desired position in opposition to Bugs.

Interestingly, Shakespeare seems to use a similar trope

In act 4, scene 5 of The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio does something very similar where he gets Kate to agree to his claim that the moon is shining in the day, then immediately reverses his position and calls her a liar

In act 5 scene 2 of Hamlet, Hamlet does something similar to Osric in chiastic fashion. This time surrounding the question of whether Osrics head is hot or cold

You should … live in such a way that there is nothing which you could not as easily tell your enemy as keep to yourself.

You speak to God until your mom dies, and then you just speak to your mom.

The body adjusts itself to the operations of the soul.

Probably · Money, Work & Power × Memes & Culture

“China’s growing debt pile is constraining the government’s fiscal capacity for sweeping new stimulus to revive flagging domestic demand and strengthen economic growth, studies of state finances show."

Although you probably wouldn't know this from reading the Chinese or foreign press, China probably has the worst debt dynamics of any major economy today. Its debt-to-GDP ratio is the second highest (after Japan) and is the fastest growing in history

Very well laid out

  1. China, Russia, and Iran are three sides of the same coin. You can't say I am deeply worried about Russia but I am China's largest trading partner and consider that consistent thinking.

  2. I support a much deeper and complete decoupling from China, Russia, and Iran than probably almost anyone here is even pondering. Let's remake original Cold War alliances and lines where we don't need or depend on the bad guys for anything.

  3. What I want to happen is beyond what people are ready to discuss. Why? Money. People like Chinese money and the illusion it is different than Iranian, Russian, or North Korean money. Money but in a different way. Money in that you have to rewire for instance global supply chains. You have to start making decisions on who are allies and who are not and it requires rule making to ensure drift is minimal. Psychology. Europe's now has advanced degrees in "degrowth" but taking on countries like China and Russia will require for instance, building things. Lots of things. One of the biggest reasons China builds stuff is because the west decided to stop making stuff.

  4. One of the biggest illusions people need to leave behind is the importance of words. Words are not unimportant, but you cannot prepare to deal with China, Russia, and Iran by rewording an official Tweet. Money. Guns. Capabilities. That is what matters. Whether it is the excessive obsession with Trump words (I've called them a low information signal) or the over valuation of European PR, none of those matter as much as tangible capabilities. Rerouting of trade. Rebuilding a supply chain.

People & Society

The group creates an egregore then the egregore helps create the next generation of the group. That’s the loop, shared beliefs and rituals sustain a collective thought-form; it influences what members value, repeat, protect, and pass on. The choir changes but the song keeps finding mouths.

Misc

You go your way
I'll go your way too