A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

It’s February 14th, and that means it’s Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating love. And so, on this occasion, I have decided to explore the thin line between love and hate in a couple of areas that I consider to be very important in all our lives.

Now, what do I mean here by “a thin line?” Well, I mean that as with so many things, you can love certain aspects or elements of that thing, person, concept, etc., and you can hate many aspects of that thing, person or concept. Often, it’s the flipside of a given coin that you hate, and as it is with every coin, there’s always a flipside.

So, what are some of my “thin line” pet peeves on issues, people and concepts? Let’s take a look at two of these, as I hope they serve as a launching point for a conversation we can have on what you consider to be your important thin lines between love and hate.

Thin Line One: Conversation. When it comes to determining what one should do, or what a society should do, or how groups should resolve conflict or how to come to decisions about what is right and wrong, the only rational tool we have is conversation.

I love productive, rational conversation where the parties come together in good faith to air out ideas and to consider different viewpoints and debate those views, identify those differences and come to points of agreement. This kind of productive discussion can take place in the boardroom, in politics, in the ivory tower and in personal relationships. And when you think about it, conversation is really the only tool we have to make things better. The alternative to this kind of conversation is violence, and that is something that, while sometimes required of us, is also something to hate.

I hate non-productive, irrational conversation of the sort I see going on in the political arena these days. I have to admit that while I was once very interested in the machinations of politics and battles that took place in Washington, these days my distaste for these subjects has become caustically unpalatable. Today, I have grown to hate the tribalistic, petty, nationalistic, non-intellectual, non-serious, race-driven, grievance-driven and fact-discarding nature of the conversation I see out there. It’s like there are two realities operating in distinctly different universes.

There’s the Fox News universe, where all things “liberal” and “leftist” (siloing terms I also hate) are the main destructive causes of all the evil in the world and must be destroyed. Then there is the MSNBC universe, where all things “MAGA” and “Trumpism” are the existential threat to democracy and to the survival of the nation as we know it.

Now, both of these sides of the coin have valid points, and both also have some extreme flaws. But is it any wonder why half of the country sees the other half as out to destroy the nation? I mean, the conversation always seems to descend to the tribalism of “us versus them,” and that is what I hate the most.

Thin Line Two: Merchants of Doom and Gloom. In the financial advice business, there is no shortage of those willing to sell you a scenario where your money is about to evaporate into the ether. Whether it be via government fiat, or war, or destruction of the world’s reserve currency, these merchants tell us that we must act now to protect ourselves from these threats.

I love the idea of taking action to protect our money by being aware and prepared for the biggest threats to our freedom and to our personal financial wellbeing from the many legitimate destructive forces that exist. I mean, my Successful Investing advisory service is based on having a plan in place that protects your money during bear markets and grows your money during bull markets. So, I understand this need quite well.

I hate the ideas promulgated by some in the industry designed to scare us into taking action from threats that are just cooked up in a marketing lab to feed on our fear of loss. Feeding on the fear of loss is not a rational way to persuade someone to do what is in their best interest. And while being aware of threats and being prepared for those threats is something I love, what I really hate is the idea of living in a state of fear about these things. One can be rational without succumbing to living in a state of fright.

Ok, now it’s your turn. What are your, “Thin line between love and hate” subjects? Why do you love them, and why do you hate them?

I need to know. So, put on your thinking cap and send me your ideas.

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Favorite Love Quote

“Love in its essence is spiritual fire.”

— Seneca

In order to prevail in a difficult world, we need spiritual fuel. And one of the best sources of that fuel is what love gives us. The reason why is because love in its proper form is the ultimate reward for the achievement of our values. It’s the prize for what and who we are. So, if we are fortunate enough to be loved and to give love, that is the reward that can make our spirits catch fire.

Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.

P.S. We are excited to invite you to a free, live webinar with George Gilder tomorrow, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. In this Startup Investing Masterclass, George is teaming up with Jon Medved, the founder of OurCrowd, to discuss investing in private placements. George and John Schroeter from Gilder’s Private Reserve will be interviewing the CEO of George’s latest AI startup pick… so you’ll be receiving a great startup pick just by attending! Click here now to attend this amazing event. 

In the name of the best within us,

Jim Woods