by NoOneImportant » Mon Jan 26, 2015 2:39 am
John, to offer a bit of quasi-independent corroboration, the metals markets have responded, after a long gradual downward price spiral, with concern. Virtually coincidentally with your noting the approaching Greek difficulty early in January, metals prices have reversed fairly dramatically. Silver, specifically, is up roughly 20% since you noted the coming difficulty.
Regarding 2+2=5. For me my greatest self-improvement has come from reflecting upon my past choices, and the resulting outcomes from those choices (reflection upon past performance). Reflection has personally always told me what I did wrong, and whose fault it was - invariably mine. That after-the-fact reflection is almost always personally painful, and unpleasant; but the benefit always far outweighs the cost. Whether it's a good outcome or a bad outcome being reflected upon, the person reflecting (me) must take the ultimate personal responsibility for how he got to where he is, and accept the personal responsibility for the choices that yielded the results being contemplated - both the good, and the bad. Although I must admit that I do find reflecting over good outcomes much easier to deal with.
When reflecting, the germane and painful questions asked are virtually always the same: "what might I have done differently?; why did't is see it coming?; why wasn't I prepared?; what should I have known that I didn't?; who might have helped?" Narcissists never feel compelled to reflect on their past actions, for, as you noted John, they are convinced that they are smarter than everyone else. The consequence is that, without reflection over past bad outcomes, the narcissist is destined to make the same mistakes repeatedly, over and over again; always being amazed that the same mistaken actions don't yield a "new and improved" result. Instead the narcissist is always convinced (again, as you noted) that "...somebody did it to me...." This sabotage conclusion is necessary for the narcissist, as any other conclusion might lead the narcissist to question the unquestionable - that he is the smartest man in the room. In fact, essentially they (narcissists) have actually come to believe that 2+2 does, in fact, really equal 5.
Possibly even more important than any individual error that a narcissist might make is the fact that narcissists are structurally unable to learn from their past mistakes. They, narcissists, are destined to engage in one repeated catastrophic action after another; always believing that it was sabotage, and not simple stupidity, lack of preparation, lack of understanding, or simple ignorance that led them to their repeated bad outcomes (while Obama may seal his past academic records, he may not seal his catastrophic Presidency). It will soon be time for the American electorate to reflect upon their actions -- long term, do they really believe that you can get something for nothing? In short, what does the American public really believe 2+2 equals?
John, to offer a bit of quasi-independent corroboration, the metals markets have responded, after a long gradual downward price spiral, with concern. Virtually coincidentally with your noting the approaching Greek difficulty early in January, metals prices have reversed fairly dramatically. Silver, specifically, is up roughly 20% since you noted the coming difficulty.
Regarding 2+2=5. For me my greatest self-improvement has come from reflecting upon my past choices, and the resulting outcomes from those choices (reflection upon past performance). Reflection has personally always told me what I did wrong, and whose fault it was - invariably mine. That after-the-fact reflection is almost always personally painful, and unpleasant; but the benefit always far outweighs the cost. Whether it's a good outcome or a bad outcome being reflected upon, the person reflecting (me) must take the ultimate personal responsibility for how he got to where he is, and accept the personal responsibility for the choices that yielded the results being contemplated - both the good, and the bad. Although I must admit that I do find reflecting over good outcomes much easier to deal with. ;)
When reflecting, the germane and painful questions asked are virtually always the same: "what might I have done differently?; why did't is see it coming?; why wasn't I prepared?; what should I have known that I didn't?; who might have helped?" Narcissists never feel compelled to reflect on their past actions, for, as you noted John, they are convinced that they are smarter than everyone else. The consequence is that, without reflection over past bad outcomes, the narcissist is destined to make the same mistakes repeatedly, over and over again; always being amazed that the same mistaken actions don't yield a "new and improved" result. Instead the narcissist is always convinced (again, as you noted) that "...somebody did it to me...." This sabotage conclusion is necessary for the narcissist, as any other conclusion might lead the narcissist to question the unquestionable - that he is the smartest man in the room. In fact, essentially they (narcissists) have actually come to believe that 2+2 does, in fact, really equal 5.
Possibly even more important than any individual error that a narcissist might make is the fact that narcissists are structurally unable to learn from their past mistakes. They, narcissists, are destined to engage in one repeated catastrophic action after another; always believing that it was sabotage, and not simple stupidity, lack of preparation, lack of understanding, or simple ignorance that led them to their repeated bad outcomes (while Obama may seal his past academic records, he may not seal his catastrophic Presidency). It will soon be time for the American electorate to reflect upon their actions -- long term, do they really believe that you can get something for nothing? In short, what does the American public really believe 2+2 equals?