The Squid Game of Greed and Fear - My Personal Experience

Hey there, thanks for sliding onto my blog. I don't post often, because I now use this place to put down some thoughts that refuse to leave my mind. It used to be because I wanted to generate some Google AdSense income from people like you coming to read. So, my target was always about retaining readers so they keep coming back to my blog; not anymore, unfortunately. Now let's get to the point. 

I recently watched the Squid Game show/movie. Every time I observed participants talk about games and money, my mind would wander between fear and greed. I have talked about fear and greed in a previous post on inequality. When some participants voted to end the games, I knew it was fear driving their decision, and those who voted to continue were being driven by greed. Being someone who trades/invests in markets, I could appreciate another aspect of this show that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. I have had positions go up by thousands of dollars and still lost because I held on to greed, thinking I could make more money. Likewise, I have collected a few hundred dollars in profits only to see the position go to levels that would have yielded me thousands of dollars. I didn't start watching this movie from the beginning, but eventually understood that all participants were heavily in debt. 

I kept asking myself why some would agree to take part in the games, why millions weren't enough for others, and why so many chose to continue playing. Many thought they would win it without accounting for the fact that they could die in the next game. In my case, I wondered why I never take my profits or accept that a trade has gone against me, and I need to get out. For me, it was the possibility of making more money or losing less. Even though I ended up making nothing and losing some of my capital. For the games, these people faced death, which is much worse than a couple of bucks I could lose. Regardless, the same factors (fear and greed) drove our actions. I thought even further, most of these participants, if not all, were drowning in debt. Getting out of debt was a hope they held onto for playing the games. In my case, I wondered, what was driving my own behavior? I don't face death or have debt, but something much deeper drove my fear and greed. This is probably why the movie has stayed on my mind. How can one be so blindsided as to ignore their own risks?

Debt was used to explain their desperation, though it was somewhat dramatised. Death may have been a possible outcome, yet we see how different we are. Some would have been content with a million, but others saw that as nothing.  At the very base of our actions, either greed or fear is driving them. This is no different for the markets; a good place to judge yourself because when you're fearful, the market gives you instant feedback. Likewise, when you're being greedy, it does the same and gives you feedback. This is a mirror I looked into and saw a perfect reflection of myself. Sometimes I can correct and move forward, and other times, I stay stuck, going up and down but actually going nowhere. Still, I will rather look into this mirror than the one in the bathroom. Somehow, I love the thrill and honesty of the market, telling me when I'm either being greedy or fearful.