210110 What I learned in my studies this morning

Today's Tao:

It [Tao] does not show greatness, And is therefore truly great.

From The Daily Stoic: 

Reason helps us decode the world. Used properly, we come to right decisions. Use your reason. 

 

...if our judgments are crooked because we don’t use reason , then everything that follows will be crooked, and we will lose our ability to steady ourselves in the chaos and rush of life. If you want to be steady, if you want clarity, proper judgment is the best way.

From Eric Hoffer, Part III, Unifying Agents:

Hatred 

Hate binds more strongly than love. We don't look for support and help when love, but when we hate..... 

Self-contempt is a potent seed for hatred. Playing on the insecure's self-doubt and inadequacy, they can change that into hate, then use the hate to collect allies for hating with them, then find the right target for everyone to hate. 

The puzzling thing is that when our hatred does not spring from a visible grievance and does not seem justified, the desire for allies becomes more pressing. It is chiefly the unreasonable hatreds that drive us to merge with those who hate as we do, and it is this kind of hatred that serves as one of the most effective cementing agents.

(The True Believer, XIV-65)