This is an opinion editorial by Tomer Strolight, editor-in-chief of Swan Bitcoin and author of Why Bitcoin.
I dropped into a Twitter Spaces the other afternoon focused on Bitcoin. In it were at least a dozen grown men talking about how much they loved, appreciated and admired everything about Bitcoin. Over a hundred others were listening in. The speakers compared Bitcoin to the greatest discoveries and inventions in all history some even saying it was clearly the greatest. Their gratitude for being alive at this time in history was something they took the time to explicitly express. I wasnt able to jump into the conversation, but if I had joined in I would have shared similar sentiments. There was tremendous respect and brotherhood in the discussion. And, although there weren't any women speaking there today while I listened in, Ive been with that group on other days and it is welcoming to women as well. It is a room of welcoming love for people who love Bitcoin. Ironically, it is called the Toxic Happy Hour. But it is anything but toxic.
Later, in the early evening, I spent time with one of my kids who just completed a math degree and wanted to share their love of math with me. We went through a textbook that was very advanced. (Please forgive this next terminology-heavy sentence): The final exercise we completed was a proof of a one-to-one reversible relationship (known as a bijective function) between all possible polynomials with integer coefficients and all the positive rational numbers - a proof that involved using exponents of prime numbers to translate between one and the other. Ive neither the skill nor the time to explain what exactly all that means, but when I finally understood this relationship, I was brought to my knees. This equivalence between two seemingly very different things hit me very deeply. I realized that what I saw was not only a timeless relationship but an eternal one. Whether the universe existed as it is now or in some different configuration, this relationship would still always hold true. It exists even if the physical universe itself doesnt. It exists outside of time and space. So do all mathematical relationships, I realized. They are all eternal the universe exists in them, not the other way around. And everything that exists in space and time cannot violate the truth of these relationships.
I point out this latter, mathematical experience because it was a metaphysically pure distillation of what the people in the Twitter Spaces were themselves trying to express. There are truths so deep that they transcend everything. They transcend each of us, all of humanity, and even space and time and they happen to be beautiful.
This love of beautiful, timeless truth is what had everyone in the Twitter Spaces discussion on Bitcoin so excited. They see in various facets and aspects of Bitcoin some deep truths so beautiful that they are roused to some kind of spiritual ecstasy they treasure Bitcoin. They treasure it not just because it produces a potentially vast monetary treasure, although it does. They treasure the beauty of its design how it utilizes the nature of mathematical truths, of fundamental human desires and needs, of physical realities of matter and energy and of numerous other delightful, elegant and beautiful truths.
Until that moment, I didnt appreciate or understand the beauty of the mathematical proof I was shown. But once seen, understood, and appreciated it was impossible to unsee and to not have some sense of reverence for it at least it was for me.
And so it is for many people once they begin to study, understand and appreciate Bitcoin. To outsiders who hear these expressions of reverence, there are some who may be intrigued to study it for themselves. But others react with concern, thinking Bitcoins admirers to be insane, fanatical, cultlike and zealous. If they ask questions about Bitcoin to these admirers Bitcoiners the Bitcoiners will usually bend over backwards trying to explain what it is they see. However, if these outsiders dismiss Bitcoin, or worse, declare that they do understand it and consider it foolish, ugly or false, they are, today at least, likely to evoke an angry backlash from Bitcoiners.
Bitcoiners are trying to share with the world a big, beautiful truth that actually consists of many smaller, beautiful truths. Bitcoin is this truth verification and truth-generating process spanning many realms of truth the mathematical, the human, the economic and many more. Emotionally, Bitcoiners are delighted when they succeed in sharing this with others, and theyre often deeply disappointed when they fail. And, again today, theyre angered when others go about trying to do the opposite, which is to suggest that Bitcoin isnt deeply and uniquely connected to the beautiful truths it reveals. Many Bitcoiners may have first heard of and been drawn to Bitcoin through claims that it was a get-rich-quick scheme, but they have since dismissed this frantic and superficial goal and replaced it with a deeper goal of fixing the world and sharing truth and beauty.
This transformation from anxious money-lusters to whatever it is theyve become, or are in the process of becoming, does not happen overnight, nor does it happen to everyone. Some people pass by and miss Bitcoins messages of truth the first or second time they hear about it. Some explore and encounter something that scares them and drives them to fearfulness where they not only flee Bitcoin but loudly warn others away with panicked fervor. Others reject its truths and see opportunities to in fact get rich quickly, typically at the expense of other newcomers, and most often by creating knock-offs of Bitcoin that dont share its truths. These people seem well aware of this and cover up those deficiencies with lies about these imitations, false and exaggerated claims about themselves, lies about Bitcoin, or lies about the Bitcoiners. Sometimes the mistakes are innocent, driven by a misunderstanding of why Bitcoin is designed as it is. Either way, over 20,000 imitators of Bitcoin are now in operation, and about as many have come and gone, many leaving victims in their wake.
Not surprisingly, all these things tend to evoke not only criticism from, but also often anger among many Bitcoiners, since they are drawn to honesty and fairness, and these imitators lack the truth and fairness of Bitcoin. This angry reaction has been labeled as toxic behavior of Bitcoiners. Their commitment to Bitcoin as a truth, and their efforts to point out the inadequacies and needlessness of imitators have slapped them with a pejorative slur: Bitcoin Maximalist a term implying that they only care about their project and are unfairly closed-minded and dismissive of others. Instead of rejecting these terms outright, many Bitcoiners have embraced them and transformed them into badges of honor in a sarcastic, ironic twist intended to demonstrate that name-calling and insults do nothing to alter the actual truth.
However, all this has led to a lot of confusion, especially for outside observers and newcomers. While it has helped some people differentiate between Bitcoin and its imitators, it has also scared off others. It is used as ammunition against Bitcoin by its most dishonest enemies. And it is also frightening to the most sensitive and fragile newcomers individuals who desperately need real truths that will make them stronger through the knowledge that there are beautiful, incorruptible, inviolable truths that nobody can harm.
But this article is not for the newcomers. It is for the Bitcoiners. What I want to point out is that this hurts us not Bitcoin Bitcoiners. Im not talking about our reputation as viewed by others. Im not talking about any financial cost we may have incurred. Im talking about the fact that it has taken away time from our lives that we would otherwise have spent in love, appreciation, admiration, friendship, productive endeavors and other activities that are spiritually far more satisfying than the deeply unsatisfying experience of arguing with people who have intentionally rejected the truth.
When Bitcoin ultimately succeeds and needs no longer be explained or defended as much as today, this toxicity will evaporate (in much the same way as nobody today needs to defend the utility of the internet or smartphones, although it needed defense when there were many people claiming these were useless, slow, and expensive).
But for now, having pointed out that explanations and defense are still required, I want to suggest that I believe we can take a different tack than the one many of us find ourselves on because it is in our individual interest to do so.
That path is one of simply not succumbing to the temptation to anger when the truth and beauty of Bitcoin is denied by others. Truth, as Ive said, transcends all. Lies eventually wither in a battle not just with the reality of the universe, but with the eternal and inviolable truths that are deeper than even existence itself. If you believe in, or better yet understand the truths that Bitcoin is built upon and operates under, you will realize you need not get angry even if you are hearing someone who is a very skillful liar and knows they are lying telling horrible lies to hurt others. Rather than get angry, you can maintain your calm, knowing that you yourself need not succumb to the lies, and that you can maintain your calm by offering to speak calmly to listeners in a separate location or time.
This path of refusing to engage in negative emotional debates is far more rewarding. Spending time with interested learners rather than incurious charlatans provides the opportunity to spend time discussing truth, beauty and love instead of wasting time countering irrational or deceitful ugliness that stirs up anger and hatred in you. In such settings, one can take their time and be fully honest, even to the point of admitting what it is that we don't know, dont understand and cannot explain.
Bitcoiners are lovers of truth, and also of fairness, justice and honesty and while Im telling the unvarnished truth were also lovers of success, of friendship and of love itself. And were also human. So were capable of taking action that doesnt get us what we love. We need to be aware that we have a choice and be aware of which actions will put us on the path that is not the best one for us. Our enemies want us on that wrong path. It is where they enjoy the home field advantage. But we neednt meet them there ever. And we neednt give them free rein in our home field either the field of truth-telling. To the extent that we do entertain them in our space and on our time they must not be permitted to either draw us away from truth-telling or to draw us towards anger for that takes us away from truth and love and into anger and hatred.
One truth Bitcoin shows us is that we are sovereign not just over our monetary wealth, but also over our emotions; not just over where we spend our money, but also over where and how we spend our time. So spend it wisely, with those you love and who you may come to love what you love, and with those who can teach you. Dont waste your time with those who want to argue for the sake of argument, or worse, for the sake of wasting your precious time and using your presence to mislead others. Take the high road. Point out truths. Caution others of falsehoods when you must. But dont sink to the low vibrational energy of your opponents. Be a role model even for them. In the final analysis, it may be the only way to get them to see the light of the truth.
This is a guest post by Tomer Strolight, editor-in-chief of Swan Bitcoin and author of Why Bitcoin. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
See the rest here:
Bitcoin, Bitcoiners, Truth, Beauty And Love - Bitcoin Magazine
- Chinas Bitcoin Exchanges Say Banks Will Close Their Accounts [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- How I created my own bitcoin [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- How I created my own bitcoin-like currency [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin players knock on Washington doors [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- How does Bitcoin work? - Bitcoin [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Should We Do a Bitcoin Sketch? - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Talk Show #4 with Chris Ellis and Thomas Hunt - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin - an Introduction - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin ATM Unveiled on Capitol Hill - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Fla. Bitcoin Case Tests Money Laundering Limits - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Capitol Hill Bitcoin ATM...No Anonymity! April 10 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- BREAKING: US Congressman Steve Stockman To Introduce First Bitcoin Bill - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- 10 Things You Didn't Know About BitCoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- All about Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Internet vs Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 11th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 11th, 2014]
- Bitcoin: The Future of Currency? - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Watching Bitcoin dropping to new lows - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Bitcoin ATM unveiled in Washington DC: revolutionary digital currency arrives on Capitol Hill - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Qu'est-ce que le bitcoin ? - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Decentralize Everything -- Congresswoman Velazquez supports Bitcoin -- Stallman in Vienna - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Drake Bitcoin's Here Music Video - Bitcoin T Shirt Store - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- China tightens leash on bitcoin - Biz Wire - April 4,2014 - BONTV China - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- What is BITCOIN? Andreas Antonopoulos & Amir Taaki explain BTC value - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Texas Bitcoin Conference - Robocoin & Coinvault ATM - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Texas Bitcoin Conference - BitShares - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Is Bitcoin the Future of Money? (with Timothy B. Lee) - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Robert Murphy at Texas Bitcoin Conference 2014 about Austrian Economics, money theory and Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- CryptexCard - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Father of Virtual Reality on Bitcoin April 8 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- California's first bitcoin ATM launches in Silicon Valley - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Fight Night: Kickboxing for bitcoin and Max Keiser 'defeats banksters' - Video [Last Updated On: April 12th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 12th, 2014]
- Bitcoin blunder: Satoshi Nakamoto denies all involvement with cryptocurrency [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- Bitcoin gets easier for consumers to buy, spend [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- 11.04.14 Forex, Bitcoin Romanov Capital - Video [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- USA: Capitol Hill gets its own Bitcoin ATM - Video [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- Bitcoin, a moeda virtual. - Video [Last Updated On: April 13th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 13th, 2014]
- Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto tracked down, but says story has no currency [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Bitcoin's backers know they need to win you over [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- [Structure] Heartbleed and Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- BitCoin mining frame - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Where Do You Think US Bitcoin Regulations Are Headed? - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Dwyer 4-11-14 Bitcoin Update - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- 4/10/14 - China & BTC, Bitcoin Tax Solutions, Libra, BitInvest Coincards - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Ben Lawsky & NY Regulators on Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Bill to Change IRS Ruling on Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Bitcoin is not over! Bitcoin Indian Food Night Saturday! (adult language, parody and yelling) - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- Demonstrating a Bitcoin ATM at Dig South - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- 10 Things You Didn t Know About BitCoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 14th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 14th, 2014]
- How Bitcoin Works in 5 Minutes - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Below $400, Massive Security Breach, 4,000 Merchants, and Congress - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian talks Bitcoin security, Mt. Gox on Joe Rogan Experience - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Cointools: Drupal & Bitcoin == $awesome - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Bitcoin ATM, Black Star Pastry, Rosebery, Sydney, Australia (Vending machine, BTM) - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- My Bitcoin Call to Alex Jones Infowars Digital Paper Wallets Storage - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- The Bitcoin Group #25 (Live) -- Bitcoin Sports -- Gox Buyout? -- Sidechains -- Dogecoin Merged? - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- 4/11/14 - China, Mt. Gox buyout, Gyft Cloud, BIT, new bitcoin symbol - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- 9 Year Old Explains Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- CITP Bitcoin Panel 2 Altcoins - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Why US Regulators Should Go Easy on Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- In Crypto We Trust Hackathon Pitches - Bitcoin Expo 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- CITP Bitcoin - Panel 1: Economics and Public Policy - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- David Chen of Lightspeed Ventures visits Plug and Play Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Video: Roundup of This Week's Bitcoin News 11th April 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Peace and Bitcoin Remastered - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- [Bitcoin] Cannot be divorced from pre-existing political theory - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Trade 114 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Wall Street's Fair Value of Bitcoin - Inside Bitcoins NYC 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2014]
- Elliotte Wave Technical Analysis Applied to Bitcoin - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Bitcoin Wisdom Depth Chart - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Live - Paris Bitcoin Startup #2 @TheFamily - Mercredi 16/04/2014 ds 19h - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Not Tax Day, Bitcoin Day! - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Preview: The Bitcoin Uprising - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- WCN Live: iNacho -- an interview with Jerica Truax -- win a bitcoin by rating Nachos! 🙂 - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Can You Use Bitcoin for a Tax Haven? - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- What Is Proof Of Stake In Nextcoin (NXT) vs. Proof Of Work In Bitcoin (BTC) - By Tai Zen - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Bitcoin, little failures and huge successes - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: Coin Unlimited over Bitcoin en altcoins - Edwin van den Ouden - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: Tor (The Onion Router) Joachim de Koning - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: First Steps in Ethereum - Joachim de Koning (part one) - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]
- Dutch Ethereum & Bitcoin Meetup: First Steps in Ethereum Joachim de Koning (part two) - Video [Last Updated On: April 17th, 2014] [Originally Added On: April 17th, 2014]