I talked to Arsh and Ella about Gen Z perspectives on Bitcoin
On BitBoy and Moral Degeneracy
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BitBoy was arrested after his Lamborghini was stolen, an event he even live-streamed while confronting the thief. Ironically, a person who has been accused of defrauding others was indignant when he himself became a theft victim. But this is not just an isolated event; it shines a spotlight on a wider issue of ethical decline.
Individuals who willingly defraud others lose all sense of justice when they themselves are wronged. This mindset echoes socialist ideologies that champion the idea of seizing property—unless, of course, it's their property that's in jeopardy.
Double standards have become the norm, especially in politics. Some people, whether due to their minority status or alignment with popular political stances, are given a pass for unethical conduct. Meanwhile, others face public scorn for lesser offenses. This normalization of double standards paves the way for bad behavior, as exemplified by BitBoy.
But let's be clear: BitBoy is far from being the worst offender; he's simply the most visible one. This cycle of deceit, fraud, and theft will persist until we start stigmatizing moral decay. And that will only happen when our leaders stop getting away with their own moral lapses, which unfortunately are way too frequent under fiat money. They can and do abuse their position for personal gain, stealing from everyone else in the process. As long as the temptation of stealing from everyone else is there, and easily obscured by talk of "greedy corporations" and "perfect storm" of "unexpected circumstances" we're going to just see this moral degeneracy continue.
The way to stop this is not reform, but a different financial system that doesn't have so many holes. Bitcoin, as you might expect, is that system.
Fiat delenda est.
The Hidden Power of Suffering
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Suffering is a stark reality, a force that dwells in the deepest recesses of our souls. Its presence can be unbearable, marking us with emotional scars that are not easily healed. Yet suffering is not a burden we should flee from. It is, paradoxically, the crucible of our growth and the hallmark of our humanity.
In a society where comfort has become the ultimate goal, the mere mention of suffering stirs discomfort. We view it as the unpopular kid in school, as someone to avoid even being seen with, let alone engaging in. Yet, herein lies the paradox: Our relentless pursuit of comfort leads to stagnation, dulling our senses and depressing our souls.
Consider the "Mouse Utopia" experiment—a controlled environment abundant with food, devoid of predators, and saturated with safety. Initially, the mice prospered, but over time, their community fractured and their essence altered. Females grew aggressive, males withdrew, and soon, their world withered away in a demographic collapse. They were not merely mice living in abundance; they became creatures debased by the absence of struggle.
This mirrors our human story in many unsettling ways. Like those mice, we live in increasingly regulated and structured societies. Our worlds are so designed to alleviate suffering that we are becoming less human and more indulgent. We are losing our nature—our need for challenges, for frontiers to conquer, and for obstacles to overcome.
However, unlike mice, we possess reason, the conscious power to shift our trajectory. We can embrace hardship as a form of spiritual awakening, a crucible where our better selves are forged. Gyms have proliferated not merely for physical well-being but because they serve our inherent need for struggle. Marathons and obstacle races have surged in popularity, offering us the chance to confront our limitations head-on. Cold plunges and saunas have become popular in part because it stretches our bodies past their normal ranges.
Suffering, then, is not an aberration; it is an integral part of the human experience. To seek a life devoid of suffering is to miss out on the profound depths of love, the intensity of joy, and the soul-stirring power of art. To shun suffering is to remain perpetually a child, forever shielded from the complexities and richness of human life. Sadly, too many choose this much easier path.
Our perception of suffering needs to change. Do not curse it as a wretched plight but celebrate it as a catalyst for growth. For it is in the fires of suffering that we find our purpose, our resilience, and our true selves. Everything worthwhile, every meaningful experience, asks us to walk through the flames.
Embrace suffering, for it is the gateway to being human.
Realize that those in power will do pretty much anything they think will work to stay in power. The only thing stopping them is the probability of success. And if they've duped a significant percentage of the population, their probability goes up and their tactics become proportionately immoral.
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#Bitcoin Tech Talk #363
Fiat Ruins Patronage
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Every rich person in a fiat economy is obsessed with money. Not inventions, not art, not new frontier exploration, but money.
These are the people that in a sound money economy would be funding inventors, artists and explorers to create and conquer. They don't because they are forced to run on a monetary treadmill.
These are the people that used to devote their leisure not to hedonism, but to the finer things that build civilization. They knew something about inventing, art and exploring because that's what interested them. And they knew at some level that they didn't have the talent to go that far. But they *could* recognize talent in those areas and funded the people that had the potential to make inventions, create art and explore further than they could. So they would put their money where their heart was.
This is the real model of patronage, of funding real progress. Instead, we have rich people giving money to charitable causes that are better at throwing parties than at helping people. Fiat money has ruined the engine that has built civilization.
Most people have been trained just to react to what other people are saying/doing, instead of having opinions they've derived themselves.
This is why most people are so incredibly boring.
I just made carnivore pizza and it tastes good!
All animal products, no flour of any kind.
I talked to @ODELL and @harry_sudock about @bitcoinpark_ and the community that they're building. Find out what it takes to build a Bitcoin community, why you should and how you can help.
Most positions people take are taken to protect egos, not to pursue truth. Rationalizing, not rational.
There is no education system. There is an indoctrination system.
There's a big difference.
The coordinated attack against Russell Brand is reminiscent of the coordinated fame of Rich Men North of Richmond.
We tend to think of our community defining us as being too restrictive. Yet defining ourselves is in many ways much harder and lead to existential crises.
Sadly, perception is way more importance in a fiat system than your work product.
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Bitcoin Tech Talk #362
It's so strange that people will spend so much time and money building political institutions instead of stuff that can provide value to the market.
But that's what fiat money produces. Even entrepreneurial energy goes toward zero-sum political games.
We cheer for Assange and Snowden, in part because we don't have the courage to do what they did.
You're not lacking motivation, you're lacking courage and confidence.
Fiat energy like wind and solar only subsidize more rent-seeking. It's a grand social experiment to suspend reality.
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#Bitcoin Tech Talk #361