Today's must-reading comes from the pen of Robert P. Seawright: "The Apocalypse is (Always) Nigh"

Here.

It's too long to do justice to here, so I'll simply say he's a keen observer of human nature and you won't want to miss his observations on apocalyptic religion and stock market crash prognostication.

Desire Cannot Be Defeated, Only Displaced

Wise words from an unlikely source:

[T]he crucial skill is the “strategic allocation of attention.” Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow — the “hot stimulus” — the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from Sesame Street. Their desire wasn’t defeated — it was merely displaced. If you’re on a diet, don’t have potato chips in the house.