Every time the market experiences intense volatility,

Brother Mao always remembers that year.
Back then, I lost so much in the stock market that I quit,
Using the remaining money to buy a few bitcoins.
Later, I got into futures trading.
Started with 0.5, then 1.
5x, 10x, 20x leverage.
Then I began to add to my positions.
When I hit over a dozen,
I started to think,
I understand the trend.
Later, I went up to 50x,
100x.
When the margin call warning popped up,
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Account zero doesn’t count,
The money I added back in,
Became the last straw that overwhelmed me that year.
Eventually, I signed the house sale contract.
On the day I signed the contract,
My mom told me,
When Dad went to pack up the house,
He cried.
That was the first time I knew,
That he could cry too.
He’s spent his whole life doing manual labor,
Doesn’t understand finance, doesn’t understand stocks, and doesn’t understand crypto.
That night, I didn’t sleep.
One cigarette after another.
I remember it was winter.
But that winter was indeed colder than previous years.
Later, I realized—
Leverage isn’t about amplifying gains.
It’s about amplifying character.
Markets don’t kill people.
Inflation does.
Since then,
I no longer chase quick riches.
I only study cycles.