<<Ah grasshoppa, you must also count in the value of the education you received from all those earlier trades.>>
I remember as a young man passing through Las Vegas in the
1970s with about $300 to my name and all of it in my pocket. After a quick study of the rules of blackjack
and an inspirational perusal of Edward Thorp, I set out to double or triple my fortune,
but instead wound up quickly halving it and then a few hours later being wiped
out. I was disconsolate. However, I finally convinced myself that in
order to be a complete person a man should experience everything in life, and
the experience of losing one’s “fortune” at some point is a vital constituent
of those things that wind up shaping one’s character (ah, youth!). But . . . after further reflection I
concluded that such a lesson was worth, at the most, $100, so I was still out an
unrequited $200.