So... I got into Bitcoin in 2011. And yeah... I did not get enough sats early on... we all know that one. :) But I have been around to witness every bull market. And in each one, PARTICULARLY the big moves, I have watched a sliver of the prior generations of Bitcoinners do the same thing.

They get preachy.

They start talking more about what is WRONG with Bitcoin. And start criticizing others for being in it for the gAInZ. You are not cypherpunk enough. You are not in it for the right reasons. You are using it the wrong way, or for the wrong things. Or... -gasp- you are the wrong person/entity to be holding it. "A BANK is buying bitcoin?!?!?! Well in my day we said... "

Yeah... we know what you said. And it probably sounded good at the time.

But when you make a permissionless asset. An asset that does not need the consent of ANYONE to trade in. That means that even the people you do not like can and SHOULD be able to use it...

But *ahem* this is another rant. Sorry.

Maybe suddenly you become friendly about (certain) altcoins. Or maybe you still claim to be a maximalist but are now "concerned" about scaling. Ossification. Covenants by God!

Whatever.

And I do not say this to downplay the legitimacy of things like improvements to the protocol (careful!). Or the legitimate concern that big manipulative players could accumulate and then attack (breathe... and think about this one) Bitcoin to destroy it. They certainly may try.

But it's too late. All they can do is slow it down.

In which case, you may be OK with "NGU" again. Sometime after NGD at least ;) .

And I am not even saying it will again. I am sort of scared as well as excited that it might not... at least not the 85% sort of drops we saw in the past. But still... it's easy to get snooty in bull markets.

Those new Bitcoinners... They do not understand. They have not even had to go through a bear!!!

Hopefully they will not have to! Though almost certainly they will.

A famous Bitcoinner ( @odell ) said "Be humble" and then something else. Can't remember... already fucked that other part up, honestly.

Humility includes warmly welcoming the new Bitcoinners (who are still early AF) even if they do not completely understand yet. Did you? DO you?

Humility accepts that evil people, organizations, and even governments (omg) will adopt it, and NOTHING can/will/should stop them.

Humility means accepting that as we broaden acceptance of the protocol we will INEVITABLY run into people we REALLY REALLY disagree with. The echo chamber might be fun (honestly I am bored of it... but maybe this is why I am writing this to MYSELF)... But the next generation of Bitcoinners is showing up. Right now.

And if you decide that you do not want these people peeing in your pool now that you have achieved an amount of value where you feel "safe"... you are losing the narrative.

Humility is a deep deep thing.

Be humble. And I hope you are better at it than me. ;)