There’s this guy I had seen around town over the years but never spoke. He knew I was into Bitcoin and I knew he was into environmental activism.

We happened to run into each other and got to chatting. He seemed like a honest thinker and good conversationalist. He’s a biologist and I’m an engineer. We’re both thinking about systems, albeit from opposite ends.

Eventually we got into the Bitcoin topic. Specifically, its energy use. I mentioned how some companies are using the economics of mining to bring electricity to villages in Africa where it was not economically feasible before. I also mentioned that our civilization requires abundant energy for it to continue advancing technologically & socially.

He said he believed there were too many people on the planet and energy abundance would exacerbate this problem. I retorted with my firm belief that every person on Earth deserves access to energy. Anything less is a “fuck you, I got mines” attitude.

I don’t think anyone had said that to him before. He seemed shocked. And it seemed like he knew the argument was valid.

I hope he will rethink some of this before we run into each other again. Looking forward to another conversation with him.

Remember everyone, the best way to refine our position and beliefs is to have honest and open conversations with people we disagree with. No need to get angry, use it as an opportunity.

We ended our conversation with a smile and a handshake.