Be an inquirer, Not a Believer..!Words cannot express how much my followers mean to me.
I’m eternally grateful for all the support and kindness I have received in the past few months from my followers on this platform.
I came across an interesting story written by Friedrich Nietzsche, so I decided to share it here. I believe it will give you a clear pathway on how to follow others in life and trading as a part of your life.
The Bestowing Virtue
Zarathustra—a sage who is also the central character of the book—tells his followers to stop following him. He says, “I now go alone, my disciples! You too go now, alone! Thus I want it. I advise you: depart from me, and guard yourselves against Zarathustra! And better still: be ashamed of him! Perhaps he has deceived you.”
A young student (S) spent years searching for enlightenment. He traveled across many countries and lived among various groups of ascetics, but after searching for years, he found his quest to be fruitless. Finally, he gave up and decided to work on a farm. The farmer (F) he worked with was a simple man. He didn’t talk much, but when he did, he enjoyed a good philosophical debate with the student. At first, the student was open to debate, doubting much of what the farmer said, thinking he was similar to the other ascetics the student had met in the past. But after some time, the young student sensed an immense wisdom and tranquility inside the farmer. He started to agree with the farmer more and more. The students desire for enlightenment had returned, and so the student worked with the farmer for months, absorbing his knowledge. Eventually, the farmer noticed that the student had stopped debating with him, and the following conversation ensued.
F: I think it’s time for you to leave me.
S: Leave? Why?
F: Listen, when you first arrived here, we had many things to teach one another. We grew together and learned from each other. Your mind was inquisitive. But recently, you’ve begun to believe everything I say. You’ve gone from an inquirer to a believer, and I won’t let you do that to yourself or to me. We’re both better off if you leave.
S: But I came seeking the truth, and I found it in you.
F: The truth! You’re lost kid.
S: Why would you send me away like this? How can you do that to me?
F: Let me show you something. Take a look at this map. What do you see?
S: I see our farm, the river nearby, and the mountains.
F: No, you see /an image/ of our farm, the river nearby, and the mountains—not the things themselves. Now tell me, what can you learn from this map?
S: I can learn where the farm and the river are, the height of the mountain, where the berry trees are, where we plant our carrots…
F: No you can’t. Give it a few millennia. The river will dry up, the mountains will move, and this farm may be a city. You can’t learn anything about the farm as it is, you can only see an image of it as it was at some point in time. See, a man’s memory is like this map. It can capture a shadow of reality, and he can share that with you, but he can never give you the reality itself. A man can give you his memories of the truth, but he can never give you the truth itself. He can tell you where the farm was, but you’d still have to verify it for yourself. If you want the truth as you say, there can be no intermediaries, no middlemen. If there’s a middleman, then he is the one you are following, not the truth.
S: But what’s wrong with following you?
F: If you follow me, you’ll live according to /my/ memories. You’ll live according to /my/ map, and you’ll never learn to construct your own. What if my map is wrong? Then you’ll be lost with me, and you won’t be able to correct me because you never learned to navigate on your own. And if you can’t correct me, then we’re no longer able to help each other. But if you learn to see for yourself, if you learn to construct your own map of reality, then we can come together as friends and individuals. We can compare our maps and help one another see reality as it really is. And when we both see reality as it is, we can journey through it together, as equals.
S: I guess you’re right. I’ll start packing my things.
I believe if you change some words in this conversation and read it again it would be nice:
Farmer: Analyst
Student: Trader
Map: Analysis
Farm: Market
River: Trend
Mountain: price pattern
...
Nothing would be better than to finish my post number 1111 than expressing my gratitude once again:
I am more grateful to you than you’ll ever know.
Best,
Moshkelgosha
Reference:
freedominthought.com
