I’ve never met a bear that has been profitable long-term.

They even made an entire movie for one of the single bears that was actually profitable.
That’s because bear-markets, pullbacks, consolidations are all shallow and short-dated compared to bull markets.
I remain bullish on the long-term, because we live in an inflationary environment that inflates prices. Asset prices too.
Only if the market is overextended, like it is now, is it worth to secure some profits and diversify your portfolio.
And only if the market structure breaks down, you hedge, become bearish on the short-term and expect further downside until the market structure improves, and when you start positioning once again for further upside.
It is that simple.