Portrait of King Charles II by Juan Carreño de Miranda
King Charles II of Spain was called “The Bewitched” because, in the 17th century, people blamed witchcraft for physical and mental illness.
The real reason? Generations of inbreeding. While a typical fifth-generation person has 32 unique ancestors, Charles II had only 10. It was as if he had been born to a brother and sister.
His failing health and infertility marked the end of Spain’s Habsburg dynasty. The War of Spanish Succession followed, and a Bourbon prince took the throne. Spain’s Golden Age died with its king [1].
Inbreeding depression weakens a species. Close relatives pass on identical faulty genes, leading to weaker, sicker offspring, unfit for survival [2].
When sameness mates with sameness, the world becomes barren.
Why do people, businesses, or nations run out of ideas, opportunities or solutions? Because like a doomed royal bloodline, their ruling elite chooses self-fertilization—or incest.
Nature shows when the new is strong, adaptive, and healthy.
The key to true life is the synthesis of opposites:
Verticality and horizontality.
Resilience and acceptance.
Masculinity and femininity.
Tradition and innovation.
Positive and negative.
Motion and stillness.
Logic and intuition.
Spirit and matter.
Order and chaos.
Sky and earth.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.