“The tango is a direct expression of something that poets have often tried to state in words: the belief that a fight may be a celebration.”
~ Jorge Luis Borges
Joel Bowman with today’s Note From the End of the World: Buenos Aires, Argentina...
All is not always as it appears. A fight may really be a celebration... a crisis may in fact be an opportunity... a moment of despair may be cause for great hope...
This past week we looked at two experiments in liberty from opposite Ends of the World. One, the American Revolution, took place a quarter of a millennia ago... the other, unfolding down here on the Pampas as we type these very Notes to you, is barely a year old. The former involved overthrowing a foreign enemy in the form of the British crown... the latter entails rooting out a domestic enemy in the form of Peronist/Socialist parasites.
Both movements probably seemed unlikely from the outset. A rebel band of republicans vs the British Empire on the one hand... a lunatic with a chainsaw against the corrupted Leviathan on the other. One can imagine the long nights of doubt in the Founders’ minds, wondering whether their noble cause would amount to triumph... or end in tragedy. Likewise, there are many who doubt the staying power of Sr. Milei and his libertarian revolution, facing a deeply entrenched political “caste.”
Two-hundred and fifty years on, we have some historical perspective on how the American revolution turned out. As for the Greatest Political Experiment of Our Age, the jury is still out…but the story is nonetheless fascinating to watch. More in this week’s Notes, below...
Notes from the End of the Week…
Final Notes…
Despite the anarchistic hellscape unfolding around us (as predicted by the popular presses), the sun nevertheless rose over the Rio de la Plata this morning…and will set beyond the Andes Mountains this evening.
In the meantime, it is a classic spring day here in the capital and the parks and plazas are alive with laughter and song. The above video we took in the historic San Telmo barrio this past weekend, in Plaza Defensa. The neighborhood used to be among the richest in the city, with grand old mansions lining the cobblestone streets. Today, it’s full of antique shops, in which the stately furniture and fine art of the past is on sale to the future. So it goes.
Stay tuned for more Notes From the End of the World…
Cheers,
Joel Bowman
P.S. A special shoutout to our dear Notes Members; we’re ever grateful for your generous and ongoing support. As mentioned in this space previously, Notes is an entirely independent, reader-supported publication (as in, we accept no advertising, bow to no boss, bend no knee).
Instead, we’re on the side of free markets, free minds and free people…and we hope you are too!
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