Volatility: Expectation and despair arise from our reactions to change; they stem from the common root. Some argue that despair comes from failed expectations, or that we expect because we despair; however, even fulfillment often disappoints. Both are responses to volatility—how we perceive shifts in circumstances. A positive (+) change is expectation; a negative (-) one is despair. Since volatility dominates our world and nothing is static, the magnitude of change matters more than permanence. Understanding volatility is crucial for navigating life successfully. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
The medieval church forbade usury and claimed that usurers went to hell. However, as the feudal system of the Middle Ages declined and merchants emerged as an emerging power, usury businesses amassed enormous wealth. Usurers donated their corrupt wealth to monasteries, and when they died, they could be buried there. It was a bonus that the donor usurer could receive the sacrament of confession shortly before death. Fear of the afterlife caused poor churches to accumulate wealth, used to decorate walls or build larger, more elaborate structures, leading to the Renaissance era. The unjust usury business sparked a literary and artistic revival. Let go of the illusion that only good things can change the world for the better or the right. The innocence of ignorance about how the world works makes it easier to accept sin and corrupts the world into evil. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”