We Are At An Inflection Point

As I sit down to write this morning my thoughts are divided.

On the one hand, talking about business or marketing seems tone-def. The attempted assassination of former president Trump was earth-shattering.?

Not just for presidential politics but as a metaphor for where we are as a country.

At the same time, there has been nothing but wall-to-wall coverage of the shooting and I’m already tired of hearing the same opinions and watching the same footage on repeat.

So today’s letter will be more of a free skate as I attempt to make some sense out of what is increasingly a senseless world.

It feels like our world is at an inflection point. Great Britain and France just held elections where left-leaning (read socialist if you want) parties took control.

Russia has signed a mutual defense pact with North Korea and is working with China, Iran and the UAE in trade alliances that are testing the power and control of the United States.

Russia is winning the war in Ukraine despite the hundreds of billions in U.S. aid and is now threatening a military strike on NATO countries if they allow the U.S. to deliver missiles to Germany.

Here at home, we’re at the beginning of an economic armageddon.

Since 2018 there has been a net loss in full-time jobs for native born Americans. All new job growth has come from either part-time jobs or has gone to immigrants.

Inflation is still high despite what you hear on the news and even if it returns to the 2% benchmark set by the Fed it doesn’t do anything to solve the 20-30% price increases we’ve seen in everything from food to housing.

Our nation is divided in a way we haven’t seen since the Civil War with each side choosing its sacred calf. On the right, it’s a man. On the left, it’s an ideology.

The problem with sacred calves is that they can’t be questioned. You can’t engage a believer in civil debate because they lose all ability to reason.

I’m reminded of the quote by Mark Twain who said:

“I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man’s reasoning powers are not above the monkey’s.”

For both the left and the right in our country today, politics IS religion. We have blended the two in the most dangerous way possible and the recent shooting will only make things worse.

That is a brief snapshot of the world we inhabit. This is what it means to live in “interesting times”.

I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there is very little I can do about any of this. But I don’t have to add to it.

I don’t have to “join the fight”. I don’t have to be part of the division, anger and fear being peddled by podcasters and pundits who build their brands and line their pockets by sowing a sense of moral and intellectual superiority in their listeners.

I choose instead to focus on what I can control. My family, my actions and my autonomy.

The same things I have been telling you to focus on for the last 10 years.

If you followed my lead you’re in a better position than most. If you haven’t you’re likely hanging your hopes on the next election.

Where you apply your time and attention matters now more than ever. I hope you’re directing both toward the things that matter most.

Until next time,

Jason