There is a reality beyond the material world. We all instinctively know this, yet in the modern mind, anything beyond the material is considered "unscientific" and cast with a wide net.
That wide net denies everything, putting metaphysical discussion on par with discussions about the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy. It's a disingenuous argument and one that any honest person recognizes as flawed. Yet to the midwit mind, it's enough to deny the meta-physical. The beyond that we don't understand very well.
Still, it's hard to live in an existence without anything of the beyond, of the metaphysical. A purely material world is a cold and lonely place. A place of meaninglessness and purposelessness. Yet it's a frame so many people accept readily, much like "scientific consensus" or conventional wisdom.
The reason authorities push a purely material world is because a purely material world means much less justification is necessary for what they are doing. They don't have to answer to any authority beyond their own. They don't have to because in a purely material world, morality is completely subjective.
Ethics is a particularly thorny problem for the materialists. How do you determine whether something is good or evil? To deny that evil exists would be ridiculous on its face. We see it every day and too many people would riot if such a thing were asserted. Even the most compliant sheep would recognize that something is really wrong.
But to assert your own morality! That's the ultimate authority, being able to define good and evil for other people. Indeed, that's the power that authorities now have. To use the wrong pronoun is a grievous evil. As is not getting vaccinated, or not supporting Ukraine, or not supporting unlimited bank bailouts.
It's a subjective morality and it's easily justified in a purely materialist philosophy.
We've been made compliant by the destruction of philosophy.
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Bitcoin Tech Talk #344
My friend and K-pop legend @BAEKCHAN_129 (he's a mentor to BTS) has released his song about #Bitcoin.
https://wavlake.com/track/30fc2c71-6687-44fc-8b1c-08f6854236e9
This feels like a great song to usher in the bull market. Please support him!
Many of you desire self-sovereignty. Being the master of your own destiny, of not being dependent on evil institutions, or on the benevolence of others is not great. It's a journey and it's not easy.
The biggest and most vulnerable point in your general, overall being is your job. It's the attack vector everyone uses to control you. And you probably instinctively protect yourself... by adopting conventional opinions, by not being too out there, by playing lots of office politics, by dutifully doing what's required of you and blaming someone else when things go wrong.
You're vulnerable in this area because when your income is entirely from one place, you're essentially controlled by that one place. This is how fiat money is used to control you. They can chop off your livelihood in one shot. Thus, they can demand almost anything. And even if you have really good skills, when you switch jobs, you're subject to yet another central controller.
The solution is to decentralize your revenue and not have a single point of failure. Get some side hustles. Figure out how you can make money in lots of little one-offs. When people ask you to do stuff, see if you can sell that as a service.
It's through having lots of customers, and not just one, that you become self-sovereign.
Permission is for rent-seekers. That's how they make money, build status and get opportunities, by acting as an authority that has some right to a cut of the things you want to do.
Stop asking permission. Instead, evaluate your own values and decide on that. It's a lot more responsibility, but it's going to make you a lot more mature than the fiat suckers that ask permission as if it's a substitute for moral evaluations.
It's easy to point at celebrities and be smug about your own moral superiority. I suspect that most news is secretly this, a way to sate your envy by making you feel better than them.
This is a trap. Yes, these people are flawed, but it's also a distraction because in many ways, it's none of your business. The thing you need to work on is you and if you're secretly enjoying the schadenfreude, you're not growing.
It's for this reason that I'm pretty suspicious of gossip. It's really a weapon in the status game that everyone is constantly engaging in, but denies caring about. You can rationalize it however you want, but in the end, it distracts you.
Stay in your own circle.
Old people are much more selfish than in the past and it's because of fiat money.
They used to build things for the future, work on things for the next generation, making things that they wouldn't get to see the completion of.
But now, they're borrowing against the future, bringing consumption forward to take stuff away from the next generation, saddling them with incredible debt. Furthermore, they refuse to relinquish power, staying way past when they've lost their fastball.
They don't get much respect because they don't deserve it. We need Bitcoin to put things back to a sustainable order.
The life you have required a lot of sacrifice. Not just from your parents, but from the people that built the civilization that you live in today. The inventors, the business moguls, the engineers, the farmers, and much more.
Not only that, but your parents were brought into the world by their parents. As you go further back, there were a lot of ancestors that went through a lot of suffering to put you in a position to live.
So what are you doing with this gift?
Choose wisely.
If you're a parent, it's your job to suffer for your children. It pains me to see narcissistic parents that complain about not getting to do something because of their kids.
It's funny how the affinity scammers inevitably point to carnivory when they want to attack Bitcoin Maximalists.
The Bitcoiner position is so strong that they feel the need to attack an adjacent belief that they haven't examined at all.
When your opponents use straw men and non-sequiturs, you've won.
I've said this many times. The best thing you can do for Bitcoin is to level up your game.
Now that AI tools abound, you really have no excuse. You can learn 10x faster.
AI will be a great tool for decentralization.
You are only allowed to express yourself the way the authorities say you can if you have a fiat job.
The restrictions on expression restrict thought as well. This is why you should go into business for yourself.
Two wrongs don't make a right. It's the stupidest reason to do a wrong, yet so many people feel justified in doing wrong if it's revenge.
This is how evil keeps perpetuating.
Banks continue to fail, and the deep state finds itself in a precarious situation. With their true motives exposed, it's evident that their primary concern is retaining power rather than adding value to the lives of the people they govern. Even in our current kleptocratic and gerontocratic society, there are limits, and those boundaries are rapidly being approached.
The present trajectory indicates a shift towards a more authoritarian state, as this is the only viable means of sustaining the ongoing grift in the absence of a functional democracy. To achieve this, however, they must control the money to prevent rebellion. This necessitates the implementation of a CBDC.
While it's not being suggested that the recent spate of bank failures is intentional, it's clear that those in power are capitalizing on the situation. We are moving towards a world where each country has a single central bank with one true member. This structure is the perfect breeding ground for a CBDC.
Money spent on defense is not productive. Hence reducing that cost as much as possible is desirable.
This is why you want node running costs to be low.
In today's corporate landscape, companies like Bud Light face a delicate balancing act between appeasing the money printers and satisfying the market. On one hand, the former pushes them to promote progressive ideas, such as transgender rights, while on the other, the market remains resistant to such agendas. It's a struggle for corporations, as pleasing both is seemingly impossible.
Ignoring the market would annihilate Bud Light's sales and undermine its very existence. Pursuing a progressive agenda could lead to plummeting profits, and disregarding it could prompt boycotts that demand apologies. But apologizing would signal to the elites that Bud Light is willing to bow to public pressure, potentially endangering any chance of a bailout or favorable treatment from regulators. Loans and tax subsidies would become less likely, leaving the company at a competitive disadvantage.
However, facing a market boycott offers a glimmer of hope for a bailout. Elites might orchestrate a buyout, as seen in recent bank failures, where companies pass the responsibility until the issue cools down. But this outcome is far from ideal for Bud Light, as being bought for a fraction of the company's worth could result in a barrage of lawsuits and headaches.
The alternatives seem bleak for Bud Light. It could fully embrace progressive values in hopes of attracting a new market, but this would likely lead to downsizing and an unhappy marriage with its new target audience.
This situation reflects a broader social trend: the cultural right is pushing back. What began in 2016 as a cold war is now escalating, with boycotts flexing their muscles against the seemingly insurmountable power of the deep state and fiat money. The deep state's overreach in recent years has led to a growing discontent among the public, with figures like RFK Jr. gaining traction.
In this battle of wills, the elites still hold considerable power through fiat money, but their control is being questioned. We are not safer, nor are we freer. As the cultural tides shift, corporations like Bud Light must navigate these treacherous waters, choosing between market forces and the interests of the elites. Only time will tell which side will prevail, but one thing is clear: the struggle for balance is reshaping the corporate world, and the repercussions will be felt for years to come.
The spirit of our age seems to be dominated by critics. Often perched in their ivory towers, they pass judgment on those actively involved, asserting some moral superiority by distancing themselves from concepts like "capitalism" and "money."
However, these critics are often entangled in the elite's status game. They bend their minds to rationalize the desires of those in power, becoming mere mouthpieces that echo a singular narrative.
Rather than being envied for their rent-seeking, critics should be pitied for their lack of societal contribution as they operate like middle managers. Their time of influence will come to an end.
Oh, self-esteem, what a sham you are!
The concept seems simple enough. Think highly of yourself, and you'll feel fantastic! But wait, when you have low self-esteem, you feel terrible. So, it must be that thinking highly of yourself is the key to happiness! But hold on, because this logic is just plain absurd. Yet, we've been bombarded with this pop-psych gibberish for over 50 years, so it's no wonder people have bought into it.
Here's the truth: if you're feeling crummy about yourself, it's probably because your conscience is giving you a reality check. You've messed up, and deep down, you know you don't deserve to feel all warm and fuzzy.
But the self-esteem fanatics insist: cut yourself some slack, relax, forgive yourself. What a crock!
When you've done something wrong, pretending you're a saint won't fix anything. In fact, it'll just make everything worse. You'll end up suppressing your conscience, and that requires some heavy-duty anesthesia. You'll find yourself drowning that pesky inner voice with addictions, anything from hard drugs to workaholism. But the truth remains: you can't ignore that voice forever.
So, let's call self-esteem what it really is: self-delusion. You should feel good about yourself when you are, in fact, a good person. And you become a good person through good deeds. Someone scamming others shouldn't be strutting around like they're on top of the world.
So, let's kick the self-esteem charade to the curb and embrace a new mantra: actions speak louder than words. Forget about coddling yourself with empty platitudes, and focus on being the best version of yourself through meaningful actions. Strive for character, virtue, and self-reflection built on a foundation of doing, not feeling. Say goodbye to the self-esteem hoax and say hello to a life built on real accomplishments.
Your conscience will thank you.
I, for one, am rooting for a debt ceiling impasse and seeing what happens on June 1. There's no way the government even knows how much it owes, let alone the budgets of all the many different departments, many of which are off-book.
A default will end with more audits. In an obviously opaque system like we have, that would be a very good thing.
Bitcoin Tech Talk #342 is out!
In this edition, I explore the importance of understanding Bitcoin from a usage perspective, based on AJ Towns' post. By learning the different reasons why people use Bitcoin, we can make informed decisions on feature implementation and bug fixes. This understanding is essential for appreciating the true value and potential of Bitcoin in our daily lives. 📈
I also delve into the progress of Block's Open Source ASIC, a development that could contribute to the commoditization of mining manufacturing. This breakthrough has the potential to bring more fairness and competition to the mining landscape, ensuring that the decentralized nature of Bitcoin remains intact. 🔧
Furthermore, I touch upon the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund, an initiative aimed at protecting core developers from frivolous lawsuits. This effort highlights the importance of standing up against baseless attacks on innovation and ensuring that those who contribute to the growth of Bitcoin are safeguarded. 💼
I invite all Bitcoin maximalists to read the full newsletter to stay informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the world of Bitcoin: