Altruistic traders - why?

[GCB]

	Quote:	walterw
	A speculator is a Human bean...

Well then, "Como esta frijole?" I.e. "How have you beeeeen?"

[walterw]

	Quote:	GCB
	Well then, "Como esta frijole?" I.e. "How have you beeeeen?"

jejeje I dont know how to spell that...

[thetradingdoctor]

I rarely recommend books, but "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand is, in my opinion, one of the best books a trader can read. In addition to the so-called Hymn About Money, there are some wonderful passages related to the reasons that we trade. If you are interested, I can provide to James the text of The Hymn to Money by Ayn Rand. Please let me know?

There is a virtue to selfishess. Why is that? Each of us has only so much energy. We use this energy to give to others. IF we do not take time to restore energy to ourselves, we become as dead batteries and have little or nothing to give to others. This is part of a delicate balance of life. First, we must keep ourselves intact and boost our own energy. This may be seen as selfishness. However, in its most human form, it is a way of storing and preserving our energy so that we can give it to people in need. There is more than this, however. It is a question of to whom we give. If we give to those who continue to sap our energies and give us back nothing in return, we become energy-depleted and then have to go store up so some more energy. If we give to those who return energy to us, even in small quantities, we have a give and take situation which renews us and adds some energy value to us.

One of the challenges in the markets and in life is to find people( life) and positions (market) that do not take our energy. In other words, there are drawdowns in life and drawdowns in the markets. Both depete our capital. Capital is financial, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.

What can we do about this? Stay with what is working. Stay with the people and the positions that are enriching you, that appreciate you and that give back to you. Remove yourself from capital drawdowns, both in the markets and in life. This is sooooo difficult to do, and there can be much pain associated with it. However, once you get going, it is extremely freeing. You feel lighter, more energized, renewed and appreciated.

Thanks for the great posts! You guys rock!

Janice

[cooter]

Here's a link to Ayn Rand's Hymn to Money.

Enjoy.

[dalby]

blowfish, you have reiterated what classical philosophers refer to as the concept of "egoistical hedonism".

[walterw]

Thanks Cooter for your generosity.... and Doc for such great input there, this thread rocks ¡¡¡ very great edge on this inputs Doc... I think I will start to consider even this topic on some personall issues I am going thru... great inputs ¡¡ thanks again... and thanks again... Walter.

[BlowFish]

	Quote:	dalby
	blowfish, you have reiterated what classical philosophers refer to as the concept of "egoistical hedonism".

Ahh OK I guess I am a bit of a 'closet bar room' philosopher. While I would never assume that my thoughts where original I am a little surprised to find that there is a 'school of thought'. Whether this adds credibility (or indeed diminishes it) I am not sure. It seems reasonable from my own observations.

Anyway thanks for pointing that out time to head over to Wikipedia to check these guys out I guess.

[thetradingdoctor]

Thank you all for this great discussion and for your inputs. This thread is as much about trading as it is about being authentic and human. I welcome all comments as they are an opportunity for us to be in our integrity and speak our truth to ourselves and others. Every great trader gets to the point where they look in the mirror and realize that everything and everyone they are is right in front of them. It is all about having the courage to be radically honest with yourself. From all, everything good in life follows because you are walking a path of integrative evolution. This is how great traders become great and stay that way.

All ideas and thoughts are welcome here, and I reach out to each of you with unconditional positive regard. Kindness is the greatest gift we give to each other and to ourselves.

Thanks!

Doctor Janice

[notouch]

I like what you say about energy, Janice. I find it important to surround myself with positive energy and to keep negative energy away from me whilst trading. The good thing about being part of a trading community like this is that we can draw from the positive energy of each other. Helping others and seeing others help others and being helped ourselves are all things that give us positive energy which puts us in a better frame of mind for the emotionally draining world of trading.

[PYenner]

Doc
"Remove yourself from capital drawdowns, both in the markets and in life."
Never a truer (or sadder?) word spoken, hard but necessary, particularly when it is family.

The 90% failure rate is the biggest obstacle I see to altruism.
In one sense your help might shift that balance a little, but when dealing with individuals there is the apprehension that you may likely help them to fail.

Thats the bit that bugs me.
You can say "they didn't have what it takes" but once you become involved you cannot fully step aside from the consequences.

Helping a capable person improve would be good, but that leaves 90% who will not make it. I don't have an answer for that.