10/22/2013 Portland, Oregon – Pop in your mints…

The financial world took a big step closer towards a new currency over the past week.  First came revelations that the US Treasury increased its net debt by $1 Trillion in ONE MONTH, which, in and of itself is shocking.  Perhaps not coincidentally, Bitcoin prices blew through the $200 mark once again.  We have written extensively on why Bitcoin is likely to rise, you can purchase a copy of what is now our most popular ebook on a number of ereading platforms here:

Bitcoins:  What they are and how to use them

Today, we turn our attention to the area of morality here at The Mint.  We must warn you, however, that what you are about to read may turn everything that you once understood about ethics and morality on its head. Read on at your own risk.

Do the Right Thing

“Ask not what you are to do, for you are called to do the right thing, not the expedient thing, not the easy thing, but the right thing.  You will know what the right thing to do is when you learn to see your neighbor not as a rival, but as a brother.”

From our youth, when we were confronted with a form of temptation or, perhaps more commonly, the opportunity to choose between selfish gain or pursuing the good of others, we were often exhorted by our elders with a phrase that is both etched in our memory and charged with meaning: “Do the right thing.”

The phrase is alive and well today and continues to drip with authority, for it implies that in the situation that is being confronted, there exists a common body of knowledge which, if consulted, would lead the person confronted with the opportunity to “Do the right thing,” with an obvious course of action.

When this phrase is uttered, more often than not it is uttered by a person whose good intentions are matched only by their complete lack of a direct interest in the outcome of whatever is transpiring.  It is also often uttered by someone who, if they were to be in your shoes, would more often than not be completely incapable of “doing the right thing” that they benevolently have advised you to do.

Today, we hear the phrase in discourses by those charged with national government. In this context, even the feigned benevolence which is the hallmark of the way the phrase is delivered in political settings is overshadowed by the fact that by “doing the right thing,” the politician invariably means “submit to my will and ask no questions.”

Imperial governance, which is the form that the world labors under today, is paradoxically predicated on categoric refusal to “do the right thing,” as, at its base, modern governance results in the enslavement of men and women via a myriad of rules and threats in order to convince them to render tribute and allegiance.  We have explored this phenomenon thoroughly in our volume entitled “What is Truth?  On the Nature of Empire.”  The inescapable irony which engulfs every utterance of the phrase by a public official means that, at this point, we cannot hold a straight face when we hear it.

To draw on a recent example, when the President states that Congress must “Do the right thing” and fund the government, the statement may have been the most presumptuous ever to escape human lips, for the underlying assumption is that whatever the government does is right, which is, from most rational and religious standpoints, absolutely incorrect.

Politics aside, at its base, even the seemingly disinterested “do the right thing” offered by a friend,a parent, or colleague is a thinly cloaked act of moral superiority on display, for the phrase is all too often offered as thinly veiled advice which, once decrypted, is read to imply “do what I want you to do.”

If the term has indeed been hijacked to lay claim to the moral high ground in a debate, shaky as it may be, humankind must strive to understand the noble origins of this seemingly important and universal saying.

Life is complicated, and, contrary to what many would say, it does not come with an instruction manual which tells humanity what is categorically right and wrong in all situations which we may encounter.

For this reason, the Bible, which we believe to be the closest thing to a users manual, reads not like a how to or self-help book, but a series of events where people, both individually and corporately, are thrown into unimaginably complex and dire situations (once one looks beyond the surface to understand the Biblical settings) ostensibly to see what they will do.  The question that is being asked constantly of the Biblical characters as well as each and every human being today is this:

Will we do the right thing?

Doing the right thing is beyond important, it is imperative that anyone who is genuinely seeking God and His Kingdom Do the right Thing at all times that the circumstances demand them to choose a course of action.

However, what constitutes doing the right thing in any given circumstance is not a matter of democratic preference or legislative action, it is purely a mater left to God and the individual of whom the right thing is required, for it is they and they alone to whom the ability and intuition has been given to make these life and death determinations.

The right thing cannot be legislated or encouraged, it can only be done or not done.  Each time it is done, the Kingdom of God draws near to us all.  Each time it is neglected, we all suffer the consequences.

So Do the right thing and, more importantly, be close to God, for it is He who is the only judge of such matters. The logic can be carried further to imply that everyone who utters the phrase “do the right thing,” to someone who is faced with a difficult situation is, perhaps unknowingly, both usurping God’s role as well as inhibiting that person’s ability to learn for themselves how to choose the right thing, which is an ability that all of mankind must learn deeply and permanently.  The right thing is a lesson that can only be learned through personal experience and exercise of one’s own decision-making processes.

This however, does not mean that the right thing must be learned on the field of battle.  There are more often than not subtle clues which will guide us as to which situations demand us to respond by doing the right thing as well as what the right thing to do is.  For instance, in our observation doing the right thing often involves an initial sacrifice to be made of time or resources.  It is often a choice to pay the cost.  While it is not universal, this minor detail is often a clue that one is doing the right thing.

Only those with a perfect knowledge of all of the circumstances involved are qualified to ultimately judge what is right or wrong.  Even in the hypothetical case that the actors are in a position to understand all of the circumstances involved, the observation is limited by our über short human timelines which ignore the concept of eternal justice.

Doing the right thing is imperative, and all human judgement as to what the right thing is in any specific circumstance is null and void unless it is agreed upon by all parties who are directly (not indirectly) affected by a course of action.

Perhaps the distinction is best illustrated in the Gospels.  While the religious leaders were left legislating the right thing, Jesus was doing it.  It is a contrast that is emphasized for a reason, for the doing the right thing is deeply personal and immensely powerful.

There is one thing and one thing only that one can be absolutely certain that is always the right thing to do from an eternal perspective:  Forgive

Stay tuned and Trust Jesus!

Stay Fresh!

David Mint

Email: davidminteconomics@gmail.com

Key Indicators for October 22, 2013

Copper Price per Lb: $3.28
Oil Price per Barrel: $97.78
Corn Price per Bushel: $4.38
10 Yr US Treasury Bond: 2.51%
Mt Gox Bitcoin price in US: $208.76
FED Target Rate: 0.09% ON AUTOPILOT, THE FED IS DEAD!
Gold Price Per Ounce: $1,341
MINT Perceived Target Rate*: 0.25%
Unemployment Rate: 7.2%
Inflation Rate (CPI): 0.1%
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 15,468
M1 Monetary Base: $2,515,000,000,000
M2 Monetary Base: $10,867,000,000,000