I assume almost all of you are well familiar with Apocalypse Now (I’ve watched it many times) as well as the best-known quotes and catch phrases, such as “Charlie Don’t Surf!” But there’s one throwaway line from this scene which I’m thinking about………….
In this scene, he looks directly at a soldier and says flatly, “Some day, this war’s gonna end.” He ponders that for a moment or two, stands up, tosses the scrap of something he’s been fidgeting with, and walks away.
What I suppose strikes people and odd and funny about the scene is that it’s clear that Colonel Kilgore dreads the thought of the war ending. This is exactly where he wants to be and exactly what he wants to be doing. My impression is that he wants to experience it as deeply, and for as long, as possible. Yet he knows that it can’t last forever, and one day he’s going to ship out and live a miserable life of non-combat once more. The party will be over.
I get that. Of course, I, Tim Knight, don’t want to actually be in a war, and if I were in Vietnam, I’d want to be the hell out. But I totally understand wanting to be in the midst of chaos, some form of danger, uncertainty – – if you’ve been trained for it – – and yet knowing in the back of your mind that, at some point, this “thing” you’ve been enjoying so much is going to be over.
To be clear, I am in no way referring to the war in Ukraine per se. I’m talking about the bear market overall, irrespective of its cause. Because I was made for this kind of thing. I relish every trading day. I relish doing the charts, talking about them, and writing about them. I’m excited to get up in the morning, even if I know that the news may be bad news. Trading, after all these years, is truly fun again. And yet there’s something that hurts to admit to myself.
Some day this bear market’s gonna end.
