“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-4, KJV).
Jesus uses the image of a little child to represent pure-heartedness. Having a pure heart is a prerequisite to entering the kingdom of heaven. The little child is closer to the Self because the ego is not yet developed. There is no mask or developed persona. Pure mind, pure heart.
Jesus also uses the image of a little child to represent having a beginner’s mind. “A child’s ‘beginner’s mind,’ to use a phrase from Zen Buddhism, and emotional openness and lack of guile qualify you for the kingdom. In the kingdom, children don’t become adults; adults become children. You lose the sophistication associated with conventional ideas and values. You start over, learning how to be a changed person in a new world” (Writing in the Sand: Jesus & the Soul of the Gospels by Thomas Moore, pp.17-18).
As a trader, humility is a necessity. Hubris runs rampant in the trading community. As a trader, you need to keep an open mind. You need a beginner’s mind to allow the market to teach you what you need to learn . . . about the market . . . about yourself. In order to perceive the truth about the market, you need to be truthful. You need to perceive the market with a pure mind . . . a pure heart.
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