What we have been waiting for seems to be happening now.

 The banking system is switching to gold and silver as the base “currency reserve” as collateral.

 So maybe it is time to secure your financial future by buying gold and silver.

 Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdS50-Wwzk

 

 Todde

 A New book that I recommend

 I have now read the book “Peak Human” ISBN 9781805 463 870 (Pocket). 

 The book “Peak Human” is written by a Swede – Johan Nordberg. In an interview he was asked: Why as a Swede he did not write the book in Swedish, he replied: When I write in English I need to think more about what I am writing. And I needed that when I wrote the book.

 Now that I have read “Peak Human” I feel I need to recommend this book. Its secondary title is: What We Can Learn from the Rise and Fall of the Golden Ages.

For me, the book meant that I gained new insights about:

Chapter 1) I was forced to acknowledge that the Athenian state was the one who took the most responsibility, when ancient Greece defeated the Persian Empire. I have previously tended to overemphasize the importance of Sparta’s efforts, even though I was well aware that it was primarily the Athenians who ensured that the Persians were defeated at Marathon.

Chapter 2) The book makes no mention of the city of Rome possibly being founded by the Spartans (which I think I remember it did). Didn’t learn much more about the Roman Republic.

Chapter 3) Learned a lot more about the Abbasid Caliphate.

Chapter 4) I knew almost nothing about the Song Dynasty in China before I read this chapter in the book. What I learned me was very interesting. I had no idea that the Song Dynasty had been so successful.

Chapter 5) About Renaissance Italy Did not provide any new groundbreaking insights for me.

Chapter 6) gave me new realities about how much the Netherlands meant to the founding of modern Western civilization.

Chapter 7) About the Anglosphere was rewarding reading. Got a lot of new realizations on the influences of the English speaking world on our modern western civilisation..

PS. I have previously recommended reading the book "Sapiens" by Yuval Harari. It is the world's most read history book (sold over 30 million copies). And my advice was appreciated. So if you have no yet read it I do recommend you to do so a.s.a.p.

Ref: 

https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2015/09/sapiens-brief-history-of-humanity.html

Recension in Swedish Newspaoper Swedish Daily 2026-01-10: 

Book | Peak Human - Education is not achieved by command

 Last year's most pleasant educational journey was Johan Norberg's "Peak human: What we can learn from the rise and fall of Golden ages" (Atlantic Books).

 One of the most important insights is how little in politics is actually about difficult trade-offs. All civilizations that have flourished have, under relatively great economic and intellectual freedom and openness to trade, achieved more or less everything at once: economic, cultural and scientific development.

 For example, if you compare ancient Athens with its competitor Sparta, Athens had literature, poetry, art, architecture, philosophy and humor - which it was also allowed to direct at the rulers. In the more authoritarian Sparta, nothing of lasting value was created (except military discipline).

 Athens even had better warriors. Sparta had certainly hardened its soldiers since childhood in battle and hardship, but they were unimaginative and hierarchical where the Athenians were cunning and meritocratic. Under the right conditions, it seems that people can achieve great works of the kind we celebrate annually at the Nobel Prize in our time.

 If you look at history, civilizations have flared up in such different parts of the world that they can hardly be tied to ethnicity, religion or geography. Especially not as the latest, Anglo-Saxon, wealth explosion has spread over large parts of the world. Political freedom and a culture of curiosity, openness and a desire to experiment, however, seem to be indispensable components.

 Speaking of the latter, after reading Johan Norberg's book, I have a message for Swedish politicians in general, and for the Liberal party in particular: Nowhere in history does education and human flourishing seem to have been commanded or mastered.

 In the section on the Renaissance, Norberg describes how the humanists who led the development of the humanities repeatedly spoke and wrote about “the enormous joy they found in reading, writing and understanding”. Monks during the preceding Dark Ages also read and wrote, but then out of duty and because it was expected. If they had thought further on their own and concluded that what they repeated and memorized was not correct, they would have been punished for this violation of the prevailing order. Only with joy and freedom did people’s curiosity become aroused, and discoveries and development took off.

 I think we find the flaw here that prevents the Liberals’ newfound mantra – educate yourself, behave yourself, care yourself – from taking off. Those who like to talk about education in the Swedish public sphere are usually either looking to rake in contributions to the organization they represent, or they want to criticize others’ lack of education in order to score points with people who want to feel superior to others. The Liberals also speak to this audience. Their exhortation to “educate yourselves” is directed at others from an imagined authority, like a parent who wants the child to eat the vegetables on the plate.

 Rather, educated people are characterized by the fact that they generously share their knowledge, and by their example demonstrate the joy it can bring.

 Good representatives of this attitude have vividly demonstrated how the experience of food and drink – in itself a not unimportant source of joy – is enhanced by also knowing its traditions, origins and the companies behind them. This does more for the dissemination of knowledge and the joy of discovery than all the admonishing liberals. If you want to pave the way for the next renaissance, it is therefore important to set a good example and share what you have. You can draw from the wealth of knowledge we have accumulated and show us new and promising possibilities.

 But you must not forget to speak to and trust people’s inner drives, and give them great freedom on their journey of discovery. However, establishing in detail and politically determining what people should know, or strictly admonishing them to educate themselves, risks killing the joy of discovery and counteracting the very goals one claims to want to achieve.

 

Listen to Brigitte Gabriel´s speach against Political Correctness

Muslim Student Claims Islam is Peaceful, Brigitte Gabriel Has A BRUTAL Response!

Todde

Also check: 

https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2016/01/seems-to-beincluded-in-all-major.html

and:

https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-left-is-now-for-theeducated-elite.html

Todde

 Interestig lecture by the author of the bestselling book "Sapiens" on AI 

AI and the paradox of trust | Yuval Noah Harari

Todde

Also check: https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2024/05/we-europeans-are-becoming-tiny-minority.html

 7 signs that someone is not very smart, even though they sound confident.
Speaking of Donald Trump and others who think in black and white logic.

They talk loudly. They talk a lot. And they talk with conviction. But the question is: is there any substance behind the words? Many confuse volume and charisma with depth and insight. Real intelligence rarely requires grand gestures.

The news editors at The Expert Editor have collected seven classic warning signs that reveal the difference between those who sound smart – and those who actually are.

1. They never ask questions
People who really understand something also know how much they don't know yet. They are curious and ask questions, not to impress but to learn. The confident bluffer rarely asks – he "already knows everything".

2. They refuse to admit mistakes
Even when reality knocks, they don't open the door. For them, it is more important to appear unwavering than to become wiser. Intelligent people change their minds when the facts change. The stubborn ones change the subject the most.

3. Everything has a “simple solution”
The world is complex, but those who only scratch the surface love simple answers. “You shouldn’t overthink it,” often says someone who hasn’t thought much at all. Skilled thinkers embrace nuance and understand that many questions lack a single right answer.

4. They talk a lot but say little
Some dominate every conversation—and yet you leave wondering, “What did he really say?” It’s often empty rhetoric in a fancy package. Asking them to explain what they just said often gets them stuck.

5. They throw around references—without understanding them
Quoting Einstein or citing a TED Talk doesn’t automatically make you smarter. If you don’t understand the source you’re referencing, it’s just a decoration. Intelligent people don’t use references as props—they use them as tools.

6. They believe that assertiveness is truth
Just because someone says something with conviction doesn’t mean it’s true. The Dunning–Kruger effect shows that the less people know, the more they often overestimate their own knowledge. The truly knowledgeable, on the contrary, are more cautious – precisely because they know the complexity of the subject.

7. They hate criticism – and love echo chambers
Smart people seek opposition because they learn from it. The confident – ​​but not necessarily the smart – thrive best surrounded by back-stabs. Criticism is perceived as an attack and anyone who disagrees is quickly labeled as “negative”.
There’s often not much behind all the talk and assertiveness. So the next time you meet someone who “seems smart”, listen not just to how they say things – but to what they say. And perhaps more importantly: what they don’t say.

Also check: https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2025/01/wealth-power-after-reading-book-wealth.html

https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2025/01/wealth-power-after-reading-book-wealth.html

 

About Socrates – His main message and Gautama Siddhartha’s similar message.

 Socrates: The unexamined life is not worth living. 

 Can be translated as: Living without contemplating life is meaningless.

 Socrates was careful to emphasize the importance of first and foremost considering the well-being of the true self (he used the word soul) and not caring so much about the person’s current life. 

 Throughout his life, he worked according to this principle. This is obvious from Plato’s dialogue “Apology”.

 Gautama Siddhartha’s (Buddha’s) message meant basically the same thing. It is important to, in accordance with the Law of Karma: Draw lessons, with the help of your Human Nature, that improve the karma of your Buddha-Nature.

 It was, according to Socrates, with the help of the Socratic midwife method that the individual should “contemplate life”.

 I summarize the messages to: Your life as a human being should be set up so that you (your true self) use yourself (your true self) of your human identity (your false self) to improve the karma of your true self. This also means that your human self willingly submits to your true (eternal) self.

 I recommend Bettany Hughes’ video (1 hour long) about Socrates. Socrates’ life’s work and his message are clarified in this video.

Listen at least starting at 43 minutes into the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05xZMAfQ30

Todd

Also check: 

https://axiom1b.blogspot.com/2016/03/about-socrates-and-his-attitude-to.html

 

Tribute to Socrates and his method

 I cannot help but present some information about my dear friend - Socrates.

 His method - the "midwife method" - is not as well known as one (especially I) would like. If we start with the word philosophy, it consists of two parts (from the Greek) "philos" meaning "friendship" or "love" + "sophos" meaning "wise" or "wisdom".

 The word philosophy was created when the philosopher Pythagoras was asked "Are you wise?" and replied “No, but I am a friend (philos) of wisdom (sophos)”.

 The most important (and often forgotten) thesis of the Socratic method is that wisdom is true knowledge (which belongs to the eternal and unchanging world of ideas) while ordinary practical knowledge belongs to the perishable and ever-changing world of the senses (the world we perceive with our bodily senses). Wisdom is created with our thoughts. Both our true self and our wisdom exist in the ungchanging world (of ideas).

 Practical knowledge is for survival in the world of the senses, while true knowledge (wisdom) is for overcoming the limitations of the body and mind and thereby awakening the true self’s awareness of itself – What was inscribed above the entrance to the Oracle at Delphi – Know thyself! (i.e. know your true self).

 Both Gautama Siddhartha (often called the Buddha) and Socrates were careful to point out that everything that exists in the world of the senses is constantly changing – it either gets better or worse, but it never stays the same. That is why it is pointless to fight for something in the world of   the senses to remain the same in the future.

 That the Socratic method is about directing attention to the world of ideas (behind the phenomena) instead of focusing on the present in space/time in order to reach eternal wisdom is not understood by many modern people.

 Our Café Socrates meetings aim to teach participants to reach towards the world of ideas in order to become wiser.

 An example of this is the law of gravity, which is an idea that is eternal and unchangeable (at least in space/time of the physical universe), while gravity in the world of the senses changes depending on how high above our planet you are or if you are on other planets or near black holes.

 The great philosopher Povel Ramel expressed this changeability when he wrote: Where do all the beautiful girls and handsome young men go? – Where do all the ugly old women and old men come from?

 

Todde