One concept that I’ve never explicitly heard in the Bitcoin realm, but I see evidence of all over the place is: self-differentiation. Though it has a lot of overlap with self-sovereignty it hits on some important differences.

Self-differentiation is basically being able to develop a clear sense of one's own identity, thoughts and emotions in distinction from others. Individuals who are self-differentiated are able to maintain their autonomy while remaining emotionally connected to others, particularly within close relationships. I learned about this concept well before Bitcoin was on my radar in the context of navigating relationships in church (which I was completely foreign to) and trying to figure out how I think for myself while still staying connected to others, especially those who saw the world much different than me.

Self-sovereignty is a beautiful concept too, but I tend to think of it as having more to do with property, survival, being able to do things for yourself, etc. All these are absolutely essential and great. However, I would argue that self-differentiation and the ability to critically think for yourself precedes the actions you take to become self-sovereign.

One of the coolest things about #nostr is that it feels like I’m able to see self-differentiation at the network level. So many people on here that seek deep connection, yet fiercely think for themselves and aren’t easily offended. And even when they are offended they believe that offensive speech should still rightly be protected!

Not reaching for re-posts, just have to genuinely shout out nostr:npub1guh5grefa7vkay4ps6udxg8lrqxg2kgr3qh9n4gduxut64nfxq0q9y6hjy and nostr:npub16c0nh3dnadzqpm76uctf5hqhe2lny344zsmpm6feee9p5rdxaa9q586nvr for putting me on to Nostr through the podcast they did last week. Embedding myself within this network has the potential to be life-changing for me and my family.

#sovereignty #differentiation