“The truth is, one who seeks to achieve freedom by petitioning those in power to give it to him has already failed, regardless of the response.
To beg for the blessing of “authority” is to accept that the choice is the master’s alone to make, which means that the person is already, by definition, a slave.”
- Larken Rose, the most dangerous superstition
I think Larken Rose makes an important point here about the danger of relying too much on those in power to grant us freedom. At its core, Bitcoin was created as a decentralized alternative to the traditional (centralized) financial system precisely because of this issue. Nobody can stop you from sending and receiving BTC or using it to purchase goods/services or organize outside the boundaries of centralized systems.
However, I also think it's important to view this issue from a larger, systemic perspective. We need some form of governance - otherwise we risk devolving into violence and chaos.
That's why Bitcoin forks were created; obfuscate governance & run hard-splits anytime there will be effective dissent one against another since bans would affect UI-d1v-la12kzc89c9rgbhvczdg0bsuzagadsuhf57byeyrucs69jullztjn8q3d-like clashes over how are opinions&any contentious issues around soft votes<>49%, amongst other drawbacks across different protocols/projects, thus prolonging development inertia paralysis between contested interests every time my dude
There is no evidence that in the absence of authority people suddenly turn into animals. Thinking that the absence of a centralized state can lead to chaos is just one way to externalize one’s insecurity and fear of complete freedom.
