Just the Way Things Are, and Were

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The photos I will use throughout this post were taken a few days ago on my trip to a museum in Lynchburg Virginia. I love how the young soldier of bronze stands so confidently with his boot half off the base.

When trading stocks, I often find it strange and a bit funny that regardless if you are trying to buy or sell there is someone else ready to be on the other side of that trade. It is amazing really. Imagine you want to buy 100 shares of Apple. At whatever price it happens to be trading at, there are people somewhere throughout the world that are more than willing to sell it to you. Conversely if one is wanting to sell 100 shares of Apple, there are ready buyers for your shares, just as desperate to acquire them as you are to sell them.

It begs the question of who is right or wrong. How does one determine what course of action was the right one? If you buy at $100.00 and the next trade is $99.99, was the buy at $100.00 wrong even if you could have saved a dollar a second later? Does it matter where it goes in an hour, or day, or week? Perhaps it is only whether there was a gain or a loss when you sell that counts.

In a slightly different light, I see the same mentality in matters of war. In any such question, there always appears to be two diametrically opposed sides. Whether it be Ukraine vs Russia or Israel vs Hamas, humans are ready to die for their side. Thus each side must really believe that they are 100% correct, yet at the same time, the other side believes they are 100% correct as well. This dichotomy leaves me to wonder is it always a question of black and white or right or wrong?

Of course at the end of the day I am not expressing any special insight, nor higher consciousness into what makes mankind result to war. I suppose barring any higher authority such as a deity or aliens coming to actively mediate, we are left with “might is right”. As it has been for millennia, well from the beginning really, I realize conflict and killing is sadly an essential part of the human condition. On one hand it is utterly crazy, yet on the other hand it seems to be woven into our very DNA. Perhaps Darvin was right when he postured life is all about survival of the fittest.

I will admit I was particularly captivated by the bronze soldier that stands in front of the Old Lynchburg Court House.

The text relief states, "Erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy of Lynchburg Virginia in 1899. To commemorate the heroism of our Confederate soldiers."