Ensuring Liberty

I am a very proud, God fearing American. I, like everyone else. take things for granted. I am guilty of taking our freedoms and our liberties and our way of life for granted. And, to a degree, how do you not? Because, for me, I was born in the United States. And so I’ve never known anything other than the freedoms that we enjoy. And sometimes absence makes the heart grow fond, or not having something when you had it, or never having it, but knowing it exists. When you get it, it tastes so much sweeter, you appreciate it so much more. And certainly been times in my life where I just totally took it for granted. I forgot about it. And you know, that the manifests in a handful of different ways. And for me, it manifests in me, not necessarily cutting corners, but not holding myself to, to a standard. It’s letting myself eat too much drinking too much. It’s not exercising, it’s not taking care of my business. It’s not. It’s not taking care of of my house, or the little things. It’s the little things and the big things. It’s easy to do I just but what I want to talk about today, it’s important that I’m vulnerable, and honest. And let you know and tell you that everything that I’ve talked about that I’m going to talk about I’m certainly guilty of also, that’s very human have us right to take things for granted to let things slip when something’s working great to stop doing it altogether. But what happens when we do that is if we do it for too long, then that becomes our new standard. A lack of appreciation becomes our new standard. Mediocrity becomes our new standard. And to a degree, I think that is where we are at. So it’s a value. It’s prudent, it’s important to go back to the basics and the fundamentals from time to time. And to remind ourselves, oh, yeah, what we have here is uniquely special. Because what we have here is uniquely special. There’s no other country, on the face of the earth ever that has, where people came together and said, this is the right way to do things. If we do things this way, we will flourish, it will allow humanity to flourish. And we will be that shining city on the hill. And we will be exceptional. We will be aspirational to other people, other people will want to come here to be a part of it to have the things that through our hard work. We have cultivated a way of life and, and a standard. And for a long time, I know that we’ve done that. So reminding ourselves, it’s easy to forget, we’re very busy, got a lot going on. A lot of cool stuff to be focused on aside from thinking about my personal liberties, and the privileges that I enjoy as a citizen of the United States of America. So what is liberty? When was last time you thought about that? I don’t know that I could have articulated it very well, frankly. So here’s here’s the definition. It’s the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life behavior, or political views. It’s the power or scope to act as one pleases. Don’t tread on me. Stay out of my way, mind your own business. You remember why it is that that we declared independence? What those reasons were, or a lot of them what we were sick, be taken advantage of. They’re sick of being oppressed, being restricted. We didn’t want to be under thumb somebody else’s thumb. We wanted to make her own way. And we believe that our vision for a more perfect union was the correct one. And we were right. So are we becoming more free or less? Over the past five years? Are we more free today than we were five years ago? I don’t think that the answer is yes, I think that the answer is no.

What do you think? And to degree, I think that we’re giving it away. I think that we are broke, individually as families. As a country, like that we’re fat. We’re stuffing our faces with disgusting food. And we are certainly distracted. We are focused and things that we’re giving our time and attention to, I do not think, are very worthwhile. And I wonder how much of this is earned? How much of our freedom are we earning every day? And the answer is, when we are living very mediocre lives, when we’re broke fat distracted. I don’t think that we’re earning it. I don’t think that we’re earning our freedoms, I think that we are trying to give it away. Gets entitlement. And you have somebody who is the very definition or the idea of entitlement is thinking that things should be yours without having done anything to earn them. And I don’t think that there’s any there’s not too many things that are more triggering to me than the idea of entitlement. We all know some entitled spoiled brats that we cannot stand. It’s like a third or fourth generation rich kid, the worst. Talk about disgusting privilege. Couldn’t agree more. Versus first generation millionaire. Somebody who inherited nothing other than their birthright, and a willed work and a desire to become successful, and they go on to become a first generation millionaire. Incredible. Only in America. It’s an immigrant who work their butt off to come here legally work their butt off. And to realize the American dream. That’s incredible. It’s incredible thing, versus some entitled spoiled brat. Citizenship and liberty, I think that these things must be earned when it’s just handed to you. I just do not think that we appreciate things. And you know that you know that you don’t value things that are free. You don’t value things that have been given to you we value things that we have worked hard to earn to achieve those the things that we value. So right now, how are you using your liberty? How have you chosen exercise your freedoms? What is it in service of I know as beating myself up a little bit earlier, so I’ll just keep using me that I was putting it towards gluttony and greed consumption. Super easy to fall into that trap. You know what else is easy? It’s easy to follow navy seals on Instagram. To wear the right T shirts, to say the right slogans to listens to David Goggins interviews on podcasts. It’s awesome. Love doing that. But that’s a little too easy. It’s way too easy to talk about it. And that’s right now I think we’ve got going on we too many of us were talking a lot about it. But we’re not being enough about it. Just learned this last week. There’s this great Latin phrase SC qualm the dairy. And it means to be rather than to seem that’s what we want. We want to be about it. Not talk about it. I want to be about it. I want to just talk about it. So are you about it? Are you just talking about it? Are you being about it? You just talk about it? How do you do it? How do you be about it? Versus just giving it lip service? Me and MA to Musashi and his book, The Five Rings said that it’s better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war, probably heard that before. It’s pretty awesome. It’s better to be a warrior and a gardener than a gardener in a war. So how do we do it? How do we be about it? Well, I think that what we need to do is to make a commitment to be as strong as we possibly can be. Like, it’s really important to be physically as strong as we can be, to be, to be mentally, as strong as we can be, emotionally, to be as strong as we can be to invest in our relationships, and our kids and our parents and our spouses, loved ones. And to make them as strong as they can be, as well. And when you do that, when you commit to being as strong as you possibly can be, you will be holding a standard. And you will be evidence to the world to the rest of the world to the people that you’re closest to the who have influence over that you’re holding a standard. And they can witness it, say, Oh, look, that guy’s doing it right. That guy can do it, then I can probably do that, too. So you’ll benefit from doing it. But you’ll also be evidenced others of the value of doing it. Because what will happen is, so many virtuous things will happen. So many virtuous things. You’ll develop confidence. You’ll develop grit, mental toughness, you’ll be excellent, you will be pursuing personal excellence. How do you stay motivated? How do you stay on track, because it’s easy to forget? Motivation is one of those things and inspiration, things that should be practiced daily, I forget who said that somebody really wise, obviously. Because as human beings I forget, I needed to be reminded more than I need to be instructed. So what is your motivation, gotta have something that’s pulling you towards it, or something that’s pulling you, whatever it is, that is motivating you, or catalyzing you to get your ass out of bed in the morning. Get your ass off the couch during the day. What is it that’s driving you? Maybe you’re into servant leadership, maybe that’s something that that that you like, and that you’re into the whole love and light kind of a thing. Sort of the big change you want to see in the world. Awesome. That’s what drives you if that’s what animates you holding yourself to a standard, getting out doing it every day, I’m all for it. Or maybe, or maybe you are proponent of what I have taken to calling deficit thinking. This is more Rage Against the Machine, Buck you I want you to tell me first love and light, it’s more dark energy. It’s I want revenge on my enemies. It’s a chip on my shoulder the size of Texas. That’s what animates me, that’s what gets me going. I don’t know that I wish that I could say it was more servant leadership or love and light and that stuff, but it’s not. That doesn’t do it for me. I gotta get down in there, go to the dark place, and find my motivation. That helps me do what I need to do. Both are operating under the assumption that we’re standing on the shoulders of giants, that so many people have come before us that have afforded us the way of life that we have today. And because that’s true, and it’s true, that we have to honor all those people that have come before us and work hard to keep everything moving, to keep humanity moving along to advance the conversation to leave the world. You know better than I found it to serve? Versus i Oh, certainly possible to do both. But I Oh, was it two powerful words that I live by? Because it’s true. And so to you. We all owe a massive debt. I’m in the business to performance I get up at the same time every day, whether I like it or not. And I do what must be done in service of what I believe matters. Day in and day out. Rain or shine, whether I feel like it or not. I do it. I do it. And you have your version of that too. We all have our version of that. Instead of giving it away by not holding ourselves to a standard we need to all get in the business of performance we all need to get into the biz isn’t something I Oh, we all need to get into the business of, I need to take advantage of my liberty and hold on to it and get more of it back. Then let it slip through my fingers or to be handing it to somebody else. Not interested in that. So on this Fourth of July,

I read, or listen to rather than biography of Ben Franklin, by Walter Isaacson. And all of his biographies are masterpieces. And the Ben Franklin one was no exception. What an extraordinary human being, he was just incredible. And he was obviously a writer. He was a newspaperman, one of the first amongst many, many, many other things, certainly a very credibly wise person who was far and away the oldest founding father, at the time of the founding, when you had guys that were in their 20s, some of them were even teenagers, for God’s sakes. And these people were so wise, and out of so many wise people he was he was certainly the wisest, or one of the wisest, certainly had the most silver tongue or silver pen, however you want to think about it. But it’s such a quotable guy, and I want to read you some of his quotes. And then I’ll wrap things up. Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. Every man is of common rights and by the laws of God, a free man and entitled to the free enjoyment of liberty. Our cause is the cause of all mankind, we’re fighting for their liberty in defending our own. That’s what I’m talking about. You do that, in your life. You are defending? Everybody’s fighting for everybody’s liberty by fighting for your own. That’s the answer all these questions. How do I do it? I can have an impact. No bullshit. You absolutely can. You do it every day. The more that people are discontented with the oppression of taxes, the greater the need. The greater the need, the prince has of money to distribute among his partisans and pay the troops that are to suppress all resistance and enable him to plunder at pleasure. me read that again. The more that people are discontented with the oppression of taxes, the greater the need, the prince has of money to distribute among his partisans, and to pay the troops that are to suppressed all resistance, and enable him to plunder at pleasure. So it’s a death spiral. The more you and I, regular people get pissed off, because we’re taxed too much. The more our rulers, the more our ruling class, asked to get more money to pay the rest of the ruling class and the enforcement mechanism to crush the resistance and allow them to keep doing what they’re doing. And this sound familiar. Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. I need to be able to think my thoughts and speak what is on my mind in order to enjoy real liberty. Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government when this support is taken away. The constitution of a free society is dissolved in tyranny is erected on its ruins. republics derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates. Sell not liberty to purchase power. God grant that not only the love of liberty, but a thorough knowledge of the rights of man may pervade all the nations of the earth. So the philosopher may set his foot anywhere on its surface say, This is my country. So powerful. And here’s one of my favorites. Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor safety. Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither Liberty nor safety. Has that shown up I was that shown up in the last five years. Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters. So there you go. Without each and every one of us living by a standard or giving it away, we lose our virtue. Everybody’s fat broke, distracted. That’s the opposite of virtue that is an absence or a void of virtue.

Non virtuous people are not capable of freedom. They don’t know what to do with it, waiting around for somebody to do it for them. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more native masters. Where do you see that happening?

It’s a case for virtue. It’s this necessity of virtue. In order to enjoy freedom and liberty, you must be virtuous. Better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war. Make yourself strong, not because you need to beat somebody up. Because it’s good to be strong. Just in case you have to beat somebody up. I don’t advocate that you acquire money just to be rich. It’s its security, its autonomy. So you’re not dependent on other people for what you need. can mentally strong become emotionally strong, so you’re not reliant on others to meet your needs? Come strong, get as strong as you possibly can help those around you to become as strong as strong as they possibly can. Finally, from Patrick Henry, give me liberty or give me death. Give me liberty or give me death. It’s a considerably more eloquent version of fuck you. I want you to tell me it’s in the middle of a whole love and light thing and fuck you. I want to eat tell me, give me liberty or give me death. Let’s not give it away. Make yourself as strong as you possibly can be a virtuous man or virtuous woman. In so doing, you will make your country strong. so doing you will ensure liberty or your children, your children’s children, your children’s children’s children. Nobody else is going to do it. It’s on you. And it’s on me to get out there and do it. Happy Fourth of July. God bless America. Don’t talk about it. Be about it. Do your part by doing your best

george grombacher 16:00
So if I want my iPhone, and my Tesla and my Bitcoin to work, we need to get the metal out of the ground.

Pierre Leveille 16:07
Absolutely. Without it, we cannot do it.

george grombacher 16:13
Why? Why is there a Why has production been going down.

Pierre Leveille 16:21
Because the large mines that are producing most of the copper in the world, the grades are going down slowly they’re going there, they’re arriving near the end of life. So and of life of mines in general means less production. And in the past, at least 15 years, the exploration expenditure for copper were pretty low, because the price of copper was low. And when the price is low, companies are tending to not invest more so much in exploration, which is what we see today. It’s it’s, it’s not the way to look at it. Because nobody 15 years ago was able to predict that there would be a so massive shortage, or it’s so massive demand coming. But in the past five years, or let’s say since the since 10 years, we have seen that more and more coming. And then the by the time you react start exploring and there’s more money than then ever that is putting in put it in expression at the moment for copper at least. And what we see is that the it takes time, it could take up to 2025 years between the time you find a deposit that it gets in production. So but but the year the time is counted. So it’s it’s very important to so you will see company reopening old mines, what it will push also, which is not bad, it will force to two, it will force to find a it will force to find ways of recalibrating customer, you know the metals, that will be more and more important.

george grombacher 18:07
So finding, okay, so for lack of a better term recycling metals that are just sitting around somewhere extremely important. Yeah. And then going and going back to historic minds that maybe for lack of technology, or just lack of will or reasons, but maybe now because there’s such a demand, there’s an appetite to go back to those.

Pierre Leveille 18:33
Yes, but there will be a lot of failures into that for many reasons. But the ones that will be in that will resume mining it’s just going to be a short term temporary solution. No it’s it’s not going to be you need to find deposit that will that will operate 50 years you know at least it’s 25 to 50 years at least and an old mind that you do in production in general it’s less than 10 years.

george grombacher 19:03
Got it. Oh there we go. Up here. People are ready for your difference making tip What do you have for them

Pierre Leveille 19:14
You mean an investment or

george grombacher 19:17
whatever you’re into, you’ve got so much life experience with raising a family and doing business all over the world and having your kids go to school in Africa so a tip on copper or whatever you’re into.

Pierre Leveille 19:34
But there’s two things I like to see and I was telling my children many times and I always said you know don’t focus on what will bring you specifically money don’t think of Getting Rich. Think of doing what you what you like, what you feel your your your your your, you know you have been born to do so use your most you skills, do what you like, do what you wet well, and good things will happen to you. And I can see them grow in their life. And I can tell you that this is what happens. And sometimes you have setback like I had recently. But if we do things properly, if we do things that we like, and we liked that project, we were very passionate about that project, not only me, all my team, and if we do things properly, if we do things correctly, good things will happen. And we will probably get the project back had to go forward or we will find another big project that will be the launch of a new era. So that’s my most important tip in life. Do what you like, do it with your best scale and do it well and good things will happen.

george grombacher 20:49
Pierre Leveille 21:03
Thank you. I was happy to be with you to today.

george grombacher 21:06
Damn, tell us the websites and where where people can connect and find you.

Pierre Leveille 21:13
The it’s Deep South resources.com. So pretty simple.

george grombacher 21:18
Perfect. Well, if you enjoyed this as much as I did show up here your appreciation and share today’s show with a friend who also appreciate good ideas, go to deep south resources, calm and learn all about what they’re working on and track their progress.

Pierre Leveille 21:32
Thanks. Thanks, have a nice day.

george grombacher 21:36
And until next time, keep fighting the good fight. We’re all in this together.