I too believe there is mixed messaging and hypocrisy at times.

First, let me say that people can do what they want with their Bitcoin. They can hold, invest, sell, buy, send, etc.

With that said, I often point to the white paper as a reference. Bitcoin’s creation had a clear purpose. Outside of a few examples, I don’t see the implementation. I definitely don’t see it online where Bitcoin was mainly supposed to be used.

I’m not blaming anyone. It just surprises me at this point that there isn’t a Bitcoin only version of Amazon or Ebay. I’m aware there is Shopstr here but there should be a bigger marketplace.

Furthermore, let’s assume there is a marketplace for sellers. We still need buyers. Where are the people who will buy? Are there enough of them? What items are they interested in buying? What’s the incentive to buy items using Bitcoin vs fiat?

For example, If I sell a mug using Bitcoin, who is my buyer? My buyer is someone who already owns Bitcoin or someone who has to get Bitcoin to make the purchase. The later is where there’s potential trouble. How do people get Bitcoin to spend? People scream “buy Bitcoin”! I’ve already stated in multiple posts this is a hard sell. 🙄

So, people can earn, receive (gift), or mine Bitcoin as possibilities. Well now we have more issues. Who’s paying salaries in Bitcoin? And where do the employers get the Bitcoin to pay their employees? Let assume people are gifted with Bitcoin. How many people are send ling and receiving donations? As far as mining, most Bitcoin is already mined.

Lastly, as you’ve stated in a few words or less, where are the like minded people who engage in the circular economy? There are some but I still see a lot of talking and not enough walking.

Currently, I personally have items available online for exchange and there’s been no interest thus far. I also posted an item on Shopstr and it just sat there. I was hoping to showcase a personal example of the circular economy working on Nostr but to no avail. So I gave the item away to a homeless person. Others have been successful selling items for Bitcoin while many more have not. I can dive deeper into why I believe this is the case but I’ll leave that for another post.

You seem to be a rational thinking person. How do you think this problem can be addressed? What are effective methods to change the messaging? How do we get more people to participate as buyers in the circular economy?

I’m asking genuine questions.

Honestly, at this point, I don’t know how to reach people anymore. In the West, there’s also the added difficulty that every transaction can be taxed additionally (depending on the jurisdiction).

It’s already hard enough to reach Muslims. For us, there’s an additional argument: the absolute prohibition of Riba (usury) and the strong recommendation to deal with sound money, which is not based on debt-driven creation out of thin air. The independence from banks or other fiat payment service providers, with whom Muslims often have more issues than other groups, is even a nice bonus on top of that.

That’s why I’ve also set up a directory listing merchants and service providers who accept Bitcoin. But the situation is the same there: it’s quiet.

As a freelancer, I’ve worked twice for direct Bitcoin payment, but that’s still the exception.

We could get all the environmentalists on board if they only understood that the biggest environmental problem is caused by our fiat system. Inflated money -> high time preference -> shorter-lived products -> more waste. But the green intellectuals just don’t get it.

Anyone who complains about societal degeneration, the decay of cultural life and fine arts, and the decline of families would be helped in the same way in the long term.

So, I don’t have an answer to your questions, and I think the right attitude can only come from the individuals and their sense of morality. Maybe most people aren’t aware of how much immorality and suffering is caused by our fiat system. Maybe the pain just isn’t enough, and people have become too desensitized.

I don’t want you to get the idea I don’t deeply appreciate and respect all these things. They are the softer more nurture based things we as humans need. However much of what you list here is not required in any way by Ai for it to progress (by progress I don’t mean in alignment with typical human values. I simply mean to advance in capabilities and power. I’ll use the word advance instead). A tyrant can advance despite the absence of these things.

Claims here are unsubstantiated.

Too much empathy becomes ruinous and hope can be misplaced. Dice you believe in God… God allows for catastrophic failure for us to learn. We may hit breaking points with this when too us it goes beyond our imagination or belief of what a loving God will let us endure. Then we abandon our belief in him. But your 4 year old and your 16 year old go through the same thing with their parents when disciplined heavily and for their good.

Ai is a tool, it can benefit and it can destroy completely. None of these listed things prove otherwise.

Humans aren’t great learners. We should replace the learners with Ai since they’re so much better at it.

Here’s the key question. What value do humans provide which ai will never be able to replace which is a requirement for Ai to progress? Let me know when you have it and I’ll explain why it’s wrong.

I used to have a debate with artists in the entertainment industry about every 8months about AI taking over visual creative jobs. 90% were deniers. Most of them had opinions that boiled down to “I just don’t believe things can go on without us” even when explanation for why it can was provided as a counterpoint for every point they had. I usually led the opposite camp. Nobody disagrees with me now.