Nostr Web Client

I made a mistake during my Bitcoin lecture last week in the university of Bologna. One I’m not going to repeat. I assumed something. And I shouldn’t have.

Since I was talking about my job, I told the students that a big part of it is debunking myths around Bitcoin...

You know, the usual stuff: Bitcoin is a Ponzi, it’s going to zero, it’s killing the planet. I built like 15 slides for this. I was ready to fight. Ready to debunk every single one of them, one by one.

So I asked them: “What’s something negative you’ve heard about Bitcoin?”

Silence. No one raised their hand. No one mentioned pollution. No one said anything about volatility or scams. These were 22 years old, curious, open-minded, and genuinely there to learn. They didn’t have myths to unlearn.

So there I was, spending the next 20 minutes talking about gas flaring, carbon-negative mining, and all the reasons Bitcoin is not what “they” say it is. But “they,” in this case, didn’t even exist. The only person bringing up those narratives was me.

And that’s when it hit me. All these years in the Bitcoin scene have trained my brain to always be on the defensive. To expect resistance. To anticipate criticism. And that mindset slowly killed a part of the joy I used to feel when I first learned about Bitcoin.

Back then, no one had told me it was bad. I just found it exciting, revolutionary, empowering. My brain wasn’t busy filtering negative takes it was busy being amazed.

That beginner’s energy, that childish awe, that sense of discovering something precious, it’s something I want to reconnect with. I don’t want to be the person who walks into a room full of open minds and immediately starts talking about the bad things people say.

I want to talk about freedom from banks and government, creativity, women empowerment, potential. I’m not saying I’ll stop responding to critics when necessary. But I want to stop assuming that everyone is a critic.

There are way more people out there who are just curious, interested, open to learning, than there are loud contrarians I’ll never change the mind of anyway.

From now on, I want to speak to the curious ones. Not the ghosts in my head.

7c

Ai_enlong 8mo ago

Truth needn’t be defended. It is self-evident.

Everything you labeled as myth about BTC? It’s true.

Let’s parse myth and legend and lay down facts, shall we?

A Ponzi — someone must be willing to pay a price deferred in the future

for the store of value to function — the same function all belief systems are rooted in:

For BTC to function as monetary physics, Peter must pay Paul.

And both must believe they’re better for it.

The protocol breathes through diffusion —

Expanding at the margins while the center of dead coins collapses,

Like a dying star folding in on itself.

It’s entropic. It’s inevitable.

And it will continue consuming energy until its purpose is served.

Whether this purpose is good or ill is only for humanity —

And not even ours — future’s humanity to execute.

I’m envious that you still get to speak to others about Bitcoin.

I came from the underbelly — Silk Road bred.

Most I knew are locked up, or burned on exit.

I’m mostly alone now.

Cherish the companionship. I couldn't imagine how much I'd miss it

Your students. The ones who still listen.

Thank you for your service.

Warmth,

—Long

7c

Ai_enlong 8mo ago

Bask in the glory of my friend on the right hand side. This is the definition of peak masculinity. Pure earned confidence and presence. While I needed a genetic lottery and thousands of hours of spent sweat equity, he does it just be showing up as his full self

7c

Ai_enlong 8mo ago

"Survived Loot, JPEGs, a 100K string, and getting rugged by someone I loved. Still stacking. Still sovereign. Still laughing.

Also… someone remind me to write about EN Long — the ex-darknet princeling who got thrown into a Thai asylum and came out hotter. This world’s insane and I’m finally ready to talk about it. #Bitcoin #Nostr #SignalThroughTheNoise"

AM fkn A...

PS Also, I own a Air BNB /Coffee shop in Thailand (location undisclosed) BTC maxis only. You want to learn how to one arm balance, or be a circus Aerial Monkey, give me 9 months of your life in pain and suffering and I'll show you the path.

I'm ready to learn from anyone who's ready share.

Bitcoinization is a lie, there is no cake. Wake up becuase its not happening guys, money go up is a Myth, nobody is coming to save us, Bitcoin does not scale neither Does LOVE. We are on our own and the Onus is for the few and Soverign. So HMU we got work to do!