John P. Hussman, a financial advisor and philanthropist, writes thoughtfully and with lovingkindness. In "An Abrupt and Cascading Dislocation" (16 April 2025) his commentary on irrational exuberance in the stock market concludes with remarks about society:

Because silence can be equal to consent, I’ll add that these unfavorable market conditions are joined by other observable elements that are deeply troubling in my view: the rapid descent of the U.S. toward an autocracy that normalizes the unchecked abuse of power; dispenses with the rule of law, due process, and human rights; dismantles democratic institutions; replaces career civil servants with loyalists; systematically defunds public health research and disease surveillance; retaliates against critics; raises barriers to access of Social Security offices and earned benefits; pressures law firms not to represent clients; exploits every opportunity for self-dealing; defunds universities, purges libraries, and whitewashes museums of so-called “improper ideology”; maligns journalists and bars access to news organizations that resist absurd demands; abandons, betrays, and disparages allies; openly seeks to annex sovereign countries; floods public dialogue with disinformation, grievance, fear, division, and false narratives; expels independent Inspectors General along with the capacity of the public to demand accountability; and deliberately erodes constitutional constraints in favor of personal dictate.

Perhaps the escalating risk of a market crash and cascading economic dislocation isn’t surprising after all.

We’re more than this. More than our division. More than the blame we cast on the other “side.” All of us are made of this shared substance of common humanity. The tragedy is that in our anger, we can’t see it – only us versus them. As my beloved friend and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh often said, “Enlightenment is the moment a wave recognizes that it is the water.”

Our enemy isn’t each other – even the people we blame for all of our own suffering since the time we were 5 years old have suffered themselves since the time they were 5 years old. The blame falls to hatred, injustice, and ignorance themselves; the greed, violence, abuse, and lack of compassion that come from our illusion that “we” and “them” are separate; the failure to even consider how the other side has suffered – something both liberals and conservatives share; and worst, the destructive impulse to eliminate everything – even human beings – that we associate with the other “side.” All of us risk falling into that trap, and we can see our way out. If we have the insight to see that the other person also suffers, we know better what to do, and what not to do, to go forward.

Look, I’ll speak out and fight against hatred, division, avarice, corruption, and injustice all day long. But it’s those elements, not human beings, that are the enemy. I hope others do the same, but also always considering the suffering of the other “side.” Even those who fight for the dignity and equality of others – especially those who are different – have to be mindful enough to see the moment when others feel threatened that those differences will overwhelm their way of life. When any side goes unheard for too long, their response is often to destroy, even without considering the consequences. My concern is that it’s happening within our government and nation right now.

Despite our differences, and a thousand failures to become “a more perfect union,” we still have the capacity to listen to each other and work together to solve problems. We still have the chance to preserve a United States of America that dignifies the patriots who sacrificed their lives for this precious democracy – this Constitutionally based republic – without dispensing with “democracy,” or “Constitution”, or “United.” In our anger and division, we are further along the path of losing that precious inheritance than we may want to admit.

_{(cf Education, Culture, and Blame (2000-06-01), Aikido Spirit (2003-12-09), Ground of Being (2013-10-03), Gentleness, Sensitivity, Compassion (2014-03-09), Irrational Exuberance (2021-08-13), ...) - ^z - 2025-04-17}