| | Something Wicked This Way Comes
By Blake Young | Last week, as part of my Halloween tradition, I watched the 1983 film adaptation of Something Wicked This Way Comes and re-read the novel. | I've been a Ray Bradbury fan since sixth grade, consuming as many of his books as I could find and listening to audio recordings of Ray Bradbury Presents. | This particular book has always checked the boxes of Halloween atmosphere, nostalgia, and life lessons for me. But the story has changed meaning dramatically over the years. | From my first read as a teenager, I understood the two young characters of Jim Nightshade and William Halloway. Now, the father character, Charles Halloway, rings true as I look back at more years behind me than are likely ahead. The book is a quick read but a very good one. | The title references Shakespeare's Macbeth, where one of the three witches states, "By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes," predicting the darkness and evil that approached. Ray Bradbury's novel follows a similar premise: evil was coming to town in the form of the "autumn people." | The story appears to focus on the two characters I named before—Jim and Will—however, there are many other stories of individuals inside the book that show the dangers of want and pain. | The autumn people come to town and, through different means, give people what they want, or at least what they think they want. The darkness feeds on the pain and sorrow that inevitably comes after having their desires met. | One such character is the elderly schoolteacher who wishes to regain the youthful beauty lost to her accumulated years. She is granted that beauty and youth, but as she sees her beautiful reflection, she quickly and ironically becomes blind, unable to appreciate her own youth and beauty. | There are multiple stories I could discuss; however, I want to focus on a few quotes from the book and some lessons for both life and trading. | On What Matters Most | "Is death important? No. Everything that happens before death is what counts." | I like this sentiment. I have been to more funerals this past year than I expected or would want. However, as the quote says, death is unimportant. What we do in our life is what counts. | On Waiting for Perfection | "Too late, I found you can't wait to become perfect, you got to go out and fall down and get up with everybody else." | We only have so much time on earth, only so many revolutions around the sun. | We can't wait until we are perfectly fit, perfectly ready, or perfectly comfortable before we go on that trip, take that chance, or gain that experience. | We have to go out and do. | Yes, we will fall down like everyone else, and—to expand on the thought—it is those who get up that will find success. | When we are trading and learning systems and methodologies, we can't wait until we are perfect, mainly because we will never be perfect and no perfect trading system exists. | We go out with what works, knowing we will fall down. As long as we get up and trade again, we will find success. Don't wait for perfection. Be willing to fall down and get back up. | On Knowledge and Action | "A stranger is shot in the street, you hardly move to help. But if, half an hour before, you spent just ten minutes with the fellow and knew a little about him and his family, you might just jump in front of his killer and try to stop it. Really knowing is good. Not knowing, or refusing to know, is bad, or amoral, at least. You can't act if you don't know. Acting without knowing takes you right off the cliff." | We all try to be good, and there are people in our lives who truly believe we are good and appreciate the goodness we share. The more people we really know, the better place this world will be. | With trading, knowledge is king. If we don't know, we won't act and probably shouldn't. When we "really know" our trading rules and risk tolerance, we can find success. Simply acting or trading without knowing will take us "right off the cliff" to potential financial ruin. | On Self-Awareness | "Dad," said Will, his voice very faint. "Are you a good person?" | "To you and your mother, yes, I try. But no man's a hero to himself. I've lived with myself a lifetime, Will. I know everything worth knowing about myself—" | "And, adding it all up...?" | "The sum? As they come and go, and I mostly sit very still and tight, yes, I'm all right." | This exchange speaks to the value of introspection. We all try to be good, and there are people in our lives who truly believe we are good and appreciate the goodness we share. | But, like Charles Halloway, we need to know and accept that "no man's a hero to himself." There are dark parts to our lives, and yet our goodness can still be appreciated by those around us. | In trading, it is easy to get excited about a system or methodology we have developed. We may even think that we are impressive, smart, or even a genius. Remember your frailties and don't become your own hero. | Every person has weaknesses, and every system eventually breaks. If we remember that, we will not trade with ego; rather, we will trade systematically and successfully. | The Meaning Changes | Something Wicked This Way Comes has transformed for me over the decades—from a fanciful tale of youth to a meditation on aging, regret, and the choices we make. | Charles Halloway, the aging janitor who once dreamed of being more, now speaks to me in ways the young Jim and Will cannot. He teaches that it's not too late to act, not too late to be brave, not too late to matter. | Perhaps that's the greatest lesson for traders and for life: we are always standing at a crossroads where the carnival might roll into town, promising us everything we think we want. | The wisdom lies in knowing ourselves well enough to recognize the difference between what we desire and what we need, between the shortcuts that lead to ruin and the patient work that leads to lasting success. | The autumn people are always coming. | The question is whether we'll be ready for them. | Blake Young
Senior Market Strategist, TheoTRADE |
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