Joel Bowman, with today’s Note from the End of the World…
In ancient Egyptian mythology, the obelisk symbolized the sun god, Ra. Said to represent a “petrified ray” from Aten, the sundisk, obelisks were associated with the rising and setting of the primordial solar energy source.
From the Egyptians to the Assyrians, the ancient Romans to the Byzantines, our distant forefathers were closely attuned to the universal cycles around them. Whether astronomical or political, high in the heavens or here on earth, the rise and fall of great powers occupied their works and days.
How they must have wondered, dear reader, staring into the fathomless night sky, beholding the infinite mysteries stretched out before them. How they must have cowered in fear, trembling in the presence of the unknown, the sublime...
Today, obelisks stand as commemorative monuments to those timeless meditations, reminders both of once-great powers and long-faded glories. From the Wellington monument in Dublin, Ireland to the Brothers Broglie Obelisk in Vyborg, Russia… atop the grave of Ludwig van Beethoven, in Vienna, to the tomb of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois… from the Washington Monument in the heart of the American Empire to the Obelisco de Buenos Aires, down here at the End of the World, we stand in the shadows of the sun’s petrified rays, wondering at the rise and fall of great powers in our time.
This week, the world watched an unlikely hero address those gathered at the seat of political and commercial power in Davos, Switzerland. The speech, as we commented in Thursday’s Note, went something like this…
In delivering his message, Sr. Javier Milei effectively redrew the political terrain for those of us concerned with the energizing concepts of freedom and liberty. Henceforth, that map will appear as below, with the obelisk in Buenos Aires as ground zero for the revolution…
And on that cheery tone, please enjoy this week’s Notes From the End of the World, archived for your learned consideration, below. (NB: Having neglected to link to the previous week’s columns in last weekend’s mailing, we’ve included those below, too. Kindly excuse our technological oversight.)
Once again, thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more Notes From the End of the World…
Cheers,
Joel Bowman
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