For the longest time I have been at odds with the system because I sensed that there is something inherently wrong with it: Violence. People always claim that they lack this "money" that everybody seems to be after and - though we have politicians and people "working on making things better" - over the years it appears the lack of monetary resources has only grown stronger.
Ever since I found out just how skewed the actual monetary system is, how central banks control the money supply and how interest is a key driver of wealth for the few on the one side and of scarcity for the many on the other side... I felt reluctant to participate in the so-called "economic system".
It seemed unfair to - at the one hand - give my life in order to earn this odd money while on the other hand the whole structure has been systematically geared to taking away from people's work and thus from their life energy.
And so it became a great struggle to find a "job" that would not only support me, but one that would also not violate other people by its own inherent function and resulting implications for society.
Consequently, some jobs easily disqualified from the get-go. For example: I would never shoot at people in order to earn a living - becoming a soldier was completely out of the question. Nor would I ever make weapons in a factory or sell anything instrumental in the physical domination of people.
I tried a lot of mundane jobs over the years but nothing really seemed to click, youth hostel receptionist, supermarket stockpiler, stagehand. My jobs seemed harmless, and often times even beneficial to some people... but still unfulfilling to me in the long run. I knew too much about the system already ;)
So imagine my surprise when I found out that trading - of all careers and after everything I had been told about it - was actually something both enjoyable and non-violent. A strategy gamer's way of earning money in the real life...
So, how exactly is trading "non-violent"?
Well, it isn't as clear-cut as this of course, hence the confusion for most people. It depends on what you trade and what your intentions are.
Are there people who manipulate markets which have real-life impact on other people, industries and societies? Yes! Many markets have become a playground for affluent people and institutions who show little remorse for the real-life damage they are causing with their speculation, as with speculating on food prices.
But is this the case for all markets?
I am willing to say: no.
Some markets, from the ground up, have no tie to physical products people rely on but are actually quite the opposite: Places where people come to play chess, to speculate. A grand glorified strategy game with "real" money where people are willing to place a bet in order to play.
In the crypto markets for example, I assume everybody present is there knowing full well, that nothing is certain here and that there are no guarantees. Some may suffer from delusions that "becoming a millionaire is easy here" and get slapped in the face for it right away. Some may feel the crypto markets to be their only hope in the ever tightening grip of the monetary scarcity that prevails in the world matrix. And others are just hopeful to turn a bit of savings they have into a fortune over a long time by learning a new skillset and the discipline this game requires.
What all these groups have in common is: everybody in the crypto markets... is there voluntarily. There is noone forcing a gun to our heads to participate here. Yes, real-life monetary pressures exist that make many people come here, but in the end it is their choice to enter a trade and at what price to enter that trade.
That is the difference. They choose how to go about the game, rather than being ordered how to do it. In the markets, everybody is their own boss, for better or for worse.
Here, all that matters is individual skill, the ambition to learn about proven strategies and the willingness to work on oneself in the face of uncertainty, challenge and the constant possibility of loss.
It doesn't matter how much money someone brings to the table - if his technique is bad then he will simply hand it to the poor dude who has done his homework better and who is willing to push through the tough times. The once rich man can't blame anyone but himself in the end for losing all his money in the crypto markets, he failed the exam so to speak. And with that I really don't see a moral issue.
If I attend a chess tournament, and everyone payed and entry fee, betting on their own superiority in understanding the intricacies of the game to be played... and I win the tournament, making everybody else lose in the process, do I really feel bad? Nope. I know they all came voluntarily and it was a level playing field. I don't have to be arrogant about it but I feel it was a fair setup.
And so it is remarkable to me to find out that the crypto markets - as wild and crazy as they are - have a certain... fairness to them, completely disregarding where you are from, how old you are, what your societal disposition is or how much money you bring to the table... in the end those who are able to work on themselves - making it over all the hurdles - will prevail. And those who invested voluntarily based on flawed and unsolid beliefs... will be flushed out.
As long as society exists in this weird way where some are eagerly looking for a way to freedom while others seem to outright welcome slavery and authoritarian control I really don't see any reason why the seekers shouldn't make use of that discrepancy, provided noone is forced to participate. Work on your skill and follow a more thoughtful strategy than the herd.
A game a of chess, a game of soccer and a game of tennis... is a voluntary interaction between people. In turn, markets like the ones in cryptocurrency are like playing a game with monetary convictions in order to bet whose strategy, self-mastery and disicpline will be the soundest in the end. Nothing more.
I really wish I would have known about this "job" a lot sooner than I did. But then I might not have been ready to learn the ropes as much as I was willing to in the last years after I saw that this game of chess might be the most difficult strategy game I have ever encountered. And that there was a way to learn how to master it like any other game out there.
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