The famous opening line of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities goes “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”
- This is applicable to investing today – because the market is up, but the economy is down.
There are many other examples too. - Within the same industry, during the same business cycle, one company gains market share, while another goes bankrupt.
- The economy may be in the doldrums and companies downsizing, but some people still manage to find new jobs.
- Within the same company, during the same appraisal cycle, one person gets promoted, another gets fired.
- This is also true for those who are able to work-from-home, because they get more family-time. But it simultaneously also hard for those who need to compulsorily travel for work due to Covid, frontline workers and the like.
- Speaking of family, one wants to get married but is unable to find the wife. Another is desperate to get divorced, but can’t get rid of the wife.
- One person is blessed with kids, while another from the same family has struggled to conceive for years. Better still, the one with kids may find him/herself more stressed out than the one without.
- One person with a lot of money is unhappy, but another having far lesser – yet living a simple contented life – is happy.
- There may be the worst of riots, but also some kind souls who throw open their doors and hearts for help.
The world is a good place. But it is also a bad place.
Most people prefer to wallow in their misery – wallowing can bring pity but not success.
We find what we look for.
That’s how it’s always been, and always will be.