Speak Your Mind.

There aren't any mediums of exchange that aren't fiat currency. The whole world is using them. We don't have any commodity based economies anymore. Those left the world back in the 1400's. (Printing presses ruined the world?)

Metals used to be a medium of exchange and a stallward against inflation...but then they became manipulated by mining and hoarding. So they aren't the safe havens they once were. Industrial metals like silver, copper, gold, platinum and others... again are highly dependant on mining versus demand.
Thats why people have been flocking to cryptocurrency. But it isn't the safe haven people think it is. (Many reasons for this) Its only popular at the moment. It will lose its luster once people understand that blockchain technology is hackable, retailers discount cryptocurrency by 20% of value, and requires considerable energy to maintain. (Electric bill)

The USA dollars are the most stable medium of exchange in the world. The Euro wants to be...but it has issues as well. Dollars are the number one item backing up most other currencies in existence.

That includes Rias, and Yen and Rupees. Even the Euro.
Rubles? Good wishes?

I know that the USA used to issue money backed by metals...but the value was being severely manipulated by everyone. You never knew what value it was going to have from one day to the next.

I can remember quite clearly when silver was trading at $60-$80/oz in the 70's.

Ain't worth anywhere near that price or value now. And the Hunt Brothers went to jail over the manipulation.

I like things the way they are now. I'm just fine with it.
Lumber is really up though. Meaning that the sawmills are making money. People are building homes and homes are gaining value. People prefer homes to apartments. Especially in a pandemic. I don't see that changing afterwards either. Commercial real estate like office space? I see it declining.

Actually, I've had a rather favorable turn in my children's eyes of late.

Mostly, sad to say, because their mother (we're divorced, and they live with her, only about 10 minutes away from me) has been an unholy terror, and they've been reaching out to me more and more.

In fact, I got a call from one of my crying daughters at 4:00 a.m. today, and I eventually spent more than a hour with my other crying daughter on the phone (my son chimed in too).

Anyhow, it's working to my favor in that I've been able to impart some godly wisdom to them through all of this.

They (especially my two daughters) had pretty much shut me out of their lives until recently because their mother has been slandering me for their entire lives, and I never really defended myself until very recently.

Well, if nothing else, I'll never die of boredom...lol.

There's been a lot of talk recently about cryptocurrencies AND artificial intelligence, which may some day oversee a globalized cryptocurrency system, and which could be directly tied to "the mark of the beast".

Lately, I've been considering that a form of artificial intelligence could be the prophesied "image of the beast" that shall "speak" (Rev. 13:15).

Time will tell.

https://www.globaltrademag.com/ai-and-cryptocurrency-how-they-can-work-together-effectively/

Been there done that.
Just keep up doing what you have been doing...she may have won the battles but you are in it for winning the war. Keep asking them questions that highlight the differences between you two. Do NOT provide the answers.

Never forget that even if they don't like your ex...they still love her... always will. And they currently have to live with her. (Unless you can get a very friendly judge)

Teen girls need to know that they are absolutely beautiful and valuable in their fathers eyes...and boys learn how to give respect and be a respectful man from their fathers. Moms can't do that...ever.

It's not easy by any stretch of the imagination.

Has anyone been in the position of thinking something and typing it and sending it and realize its to late to stop it? Just a thought

You mean like I did earlier today?

In my case, I felt a check in my spirit, but I hit the "post reply" button anyway.

What are you thinking about?

Have you done something similar recently?

Sort of but I believe I did it also and dont want to loose a friendship over it

Has anyone been in the position of thinking something and typing it and sending it and realize its to late to stop it? Just a thought

I thought that was a defining characteristic of females to begin with...

I'm not saying that as a derogatory... it's just that women in general (not specifically speaking) tend to focus a lot more on causes of emotions and entertaining emotions than men do.

Men focus on other things...

I don't even have to ask those questions.

They're seeing the differences all on their own.

I reached out to my ex via text messages just about a month ago, and I encouraged her to apologize to our children for all of the lies that she's told them about me for years. I did so NOT to make myself look better in their eyes, but rather because I told her that our children were eventually going to figure things out for themselves and wind up resenting her. Unfortunately, she responded with a bunch of laughing emoticons. Incidentally, she's the one who pressed totally fake charges against me years ago while trying to take my children away from me completely. She failed miserably, and I literally could have had her arrested for things that she did during that whole process, but I chose to forbear for our children's sakes.

I've NEVER sought to drive any sort of wedge between them and their mother.

Scripture tells us to honor our father AND mother that it may be well with us, and that we might live long upon this earth.

I've always encouraged them to honor their mother, BUT, at the same time, I've never sought to justify any of her sins in their eyes, and she added to those sins last night/early this morning...which is why I got the phone call at 4:00 a.m.

Anyhow, my children know the difference between right and wrong because I've personally taught them the same for years...even if they've kicked against it at times.

I've had to sit on the sidelines, so to speak, with much grief in my heart as I've watched certain things unfold over the years, BUT the tide is turning.

My children are actually learning discernment and other life lessons through all of this, so some good is coming out of it.

I thought that was a defining characteristic of females to begin with...

I'm not saying that as a derogatory... it's just that women in general (not specifically speaking) tend to focus a lot more on causes of emotions and entertaining emotions than men do.

Men focus on other things...

Possibly true I guess get caught up in the moment

Not suggesting that you stop being emotional...that would be like suggesting that you stop being female.

Out of curiosity, what "other things" do men "focus on", in your opinion?

Personally, I often find myself in the type of situation that Amber seemingly described.

I wouldn't call it "emotional"...although the correct word escapes me at the moment.

In my particular case, I'm truly into relationships, whatever the type, and I therefore always seek to keep them as open and real as possible, and that requires communication.

Anyhow, this thread is normally about coffee and donuts, so maybe I should just shut up and post of picture of Homer Simpson...lol.

That sounds kind of derogatory to me.

Just saying.

Personally, I see nothing wrong with an emotional woman OR MAN.

It's the ones who bury their emotions, whether female OR MALE, who scare me.

This thread is "speak your mind" in the theological section...we talk about lighthearted subjects...this one ain't that deep.

Men tend to focus on winning battles and construction. Now that can entail many aspects. From forging alliances and friendships to wealth building and taking advantages of opportunities as we envision them...
We also focus on building families and communities and providing needed materials for sound growth. That can stem from careers we hold which provide for our families to things in our communities we feel are needed in some capacity. It can even be as simple as leading a moral lifestyle that others find admirable.
We focus on respect and being respectable more...fun is secondary.

I'm not suggesting that emotions are bad or anything like that. Jesus was recorded as being highly emotional for a man.
But Jesus was more focused on saving us. (Construction too as He had a Kingdom to build)

Men need women and their unique perspective in our lives...just like women need men. It's symbiosis in action. One isn't better or worse than the other. Logical thoughts set the course and direction...emotions are what puts wind in the sails and carries us there.

^i^