This post contains spoilers to a somewhat popular anime: Code Geass.

I watched Code Geass many years ago but couldn’t really appreciate the ending at the time. The story is about a mysterious woman with a special power that can be weaponized. The military of a totalitarian regime was transporting her in an armored vehicle when a rebellion team (also referred to as terrorists by the ruling class) attacked the transportation vehicle trying to retrieve her and tilt the power dynamics of their resistance. During the attack, she comes across a young man who was caught in the crossfire. Under duress, she granted him the incredible power. This power allows him to compel anyone to do anything he says, but he has to look into their eyes to do it. And he can only use it once per person. With this new power, he begins accumulating resources and allies to overthrow the current political establishment. The problem is that now he is the enemy of the previous group of people he overthrew. He realizes that hatred and violence can’t stop if people keep trying to enact revenge on each other. The solution? He intentionally and openly becomes a tyrant: abusing people in order to literally make the world hate him. The ruler of the world is now the most hated man on earth. Then he plans his own public assassination. During a mandatory parade, he was murdered in front of everyone to see. He died as a martyr or at least fooled the world into believing that he is dead. The world celebrated. They were now free. The world’s common enemy and the collective hatred of all humanity was now gone. Instead of people directing their hatred at a specific race or nation, it was directed at this dead tyrant. Now people had a clean slate and the world doesn’t have any prior reasons to hate anyone. People of different cultures, races, and values could finally get along right?

This is where the anime ends. It allows the viewer to determine what happens next. This would presumably create peace right? Ultimately, I don’t think this solution worked or solved anything. To my understanding, people tend to create enemies even when there isn’t one. It’s a weird thing but humans seem to be wired this way. We are in constant conflict because of tribalistic tendencies we evolved with. There always seems to be any enemy out there. There is always a group creating problems for you or planning ways to control you better.

And if there isn’t a clear enemy, we create one. This is what it feels like being in bitcoin and nostr sometimes. There are certainly bad actors in these communities but, it seems that more than anything, we are creating some of them. Attributing malice toward others and calling them bad actors based on feelings instead of indisputable evidence. It’s a lot of speculating and jumping to conclusions. This creates tension. The tension leads to dislike. The dislike leads to hatred and people begin to draw enemy lines. Now the enemy is evil and we are at war.

I know the end of fiat will be a great victory for humanity. I know that a bitcoin standard will drastically improve the living conditions for everyone on earth and reduce a lot of suffering. But I don’t think conflict and violence will ever go away for good. I don't think psychopaths will stop trying to gain power and rule over others. I don’t think it will stop evil. The scale of violence will shrink and that’s a big win, but the violence will find its way into the world because it seems this is human nature.