The Jademaster

Saturday, September 19, 2009 |

I remember this story from "The New Market Wizards" by Jack Schwager as I was thinking about how I traded lately. I would not say that I am now a seasoned trader and will not make mistakes again but with the confidence I have lately I can say that I am the Jademaster. May the force be with us all.

One cold winter morning a young man walks five miles through the
snow. He knocks on the Jademaster's door.
The Jademaster answers with a broom in his hand.
"Yes?"
"I want to learn about Jade."
"Very well then, come in out of the cold."
They sit by the fire sipping hot green tea. The Jademaster presses a green stone deeply into the young
man's hand and begins to talk about tree frogs. After a few minutes, the young man interrupts.
"Excuse me, I am here to leam about Jade, not tree frogs."
The Jademaster takes the stone and tells the young man to go home and return in a week. The following
week the young man returns. The Jademaster presses another green stone into the young man's hand and
continues the story. Again, the young man interrupts. Again, the Jade-master sends him home. Weeks pass.
The young man interrupts less and less. The young man also learns to brew the hot green tea, clean up the
kitchen and sweep the floors. Spring comes.
One day, the young man observes, "The stone I hold is not genuine Jade."
I lean back in my chair, savoring the story. My student interrupts.
"OK. OK. That's a great story. I don't see what it has to do with making money. I come to you to find out
about the markets. I want to learn about the bulls and the bears, commodities, stocks, bonds, calls and
options. I want to make big money. You tell me a fable about Jade. What is this? You ..."
"That's all for now. Leave those price charts on the table. Come back next week."
Months pass. My student interrupts less and less as I continue the story of The Trader's Window.
-from The Trader's Window,
ED SEYKOTA

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