**Bitcoiners should do the work and figure out self-custodied lightning.** Yes, even for pocket change. Yes, even if it means you can't see zaps.

If normies or casuals end up using custodial solutions, that sucks, but it's entirely predictable. But if you are all-in on the ethos of bitcoin as a tool that enables self-sovereign control over money, then help us keep the culture alive.

Lightning has a lot of issues and the direction of how this ecosystem plays out is in a bit of a precarious state. The barrier to entry for running and managing a lightning node is high. I get it. But if the most hardcore bitcoiners aren't willing to forgo trusted third party intermediaries, then we're sowing the seeds for lightning to become a network of centralized, trusted service providers from top to bottom.

If there's no demand from bitcoiners for improved self-custody UX, then people aren't going to build solutions. Every bitcoiner who chooses to sacrifice self-sovereignty for convenience is ever so slightly tipping the scales towards a culture that favors such expediency.

I don't think this is hyperbole. Lightning is super early and this is precisely the time to set a strong cultural foundation because it will only get worse over time as we've seen with on-chain bitcoin.

If an idiot like me can do the work and figure it out, you can too.