Traders are by nature independent-minded people... we trade so that we can make a great living whilst being answerable to no-one but ourselves... we are free of the shackles of corporate bureacracy... we are the purest of capitalists who wish to interact, in the purest way, with the machinery of capitalism, devoid of internal politics, nepotism and managerial structure....
Given the free spirit propensity that it would be safe to say defines the majority of us, I was wondering what other activities we partake in, which break away from the conventions of the mainstream...
Let me kick this off... I have a real buzz for moderate (but not excessive) physical risk, which I feel is an extension of my desire to risk financial capital... combine this with my intellectual predilection for geopolitics, and holidays in current war zones (or recent war zones) is what you come up with... I like, if possible, to meet both sides... for example, when I was in the West Bank I met both Israeli soldiers (who gave me a tour of a hotspot in their jeep)... after the tour, I simply walked right into the midst of Palestinians and talked with them too... I am currently looking into the logistics of a trip to Chechnya, to meet both Russians and the rebels they are fighting, and to gain insight into local culture and food of course!... another area of interest is the oil-rich East Timor, where the Christian East Timorese, with the help of the US and Australian militaries, recently gained independence from Muslim Indonesia, on condition that East Timor gave up effective control of its oil reserves to the USA and Australia...
So what do you guys get up to, when not trading, that breaks away from mainstream activities? How related do you feel this is to trading? My feeling is that we are, on average, a more eccentric bunch than society at large... it would be interesting to gain some insight into the extracurricular activities of our Elitetrader fraternity, with perhaps some elaboration on the shared psychological basis for such activities and trading...
Given the free spirit propensity that it would be safe to say defines the majority of us, I was wondering what other activities we partake in, which break away from the conventions of the mainstream...
Let me kick this off... I have a real buzz for moderate (but not excessive) physical risk, which I feel is an extension of my desire to risk financial capital... combine this with my intellectual predilection for geopolitics, and holidays in current war zones (or recent war zones) is what you come up with... I like, if possible, to meet both sides... for example, when I was in the West Bank I met both Israeli soldiers (who gave me a tour of a hotspot in their jeep)... after the tour, I simply walked right into the midst of Palestinians and talked with them too... I am currently looking into the logistics of a trip to Chechnya, to meet both Russians and the rebels they are fighting, and to gain insight into local culture and food of course!... another area of interest is the oil-rich East Timor, where the Christian East Timorese, with the help of the US and Australian militaries, recently gained independence from Muslim Indonesia, on condition that East Timor gave up effective control of its oil reserves to the USA and Australia...
So what do you guys get up to, when not trading, that breaks away from mainstream activities? How related do you feel this is to trading? My feeling is that we are, on average, a more eccentric bunch than society at large... it would be interesting to gain some insight into the extracurricular activities of our Elitetrader fraternity, with perhaps some elaboration on the shared psychological basis for such activities and trading...
Amusing, intelligent, and (did I say) amusing. 