Let's face it. We are not normal. At least I will speak for myself. The thoughts floating around in my brain are not those of my friends and neighbors. Sure, you can build bridges to the others, but oh so carefully. If you want to coexist with your friends and family, you need to pick your spots and know when to shut up about the Byzantine General's Problem. It's also probably not a good idea to share every half baked conspiracy theory you have accepted as fact with the guy at the deli counter.
When I discovered bitcoin I became a hermit. The deeper I dove, the less comfortable I felt talking about it. I led a double life. I read my books and watched my podcasts in private. I am an introvert by nature, so maybe some of you found it easier to spread the word right from the start. I got to know people here on Stacker News, but only by their nyms. It took me years to meet someone who shared my obsession in real life.
I pushed myself. There were barriers. The five dollar wrench attack trope briefly prevented me from going to meetups. My paranoia started to feel a little ridiculous when I recalled the years I spent drinking in a bar with most of my net worth sitting in cash in my pocket. My privacy would also be compromised, sure, but everything is a trade off.
I forced myself to meet local bitcoiners. It's easy to bond when you share a giant obsession. The rapport is instant. It's comforting, self affirming, and it's a hell of a lot of fun. I have been doing this for a few years. The circle is widening.
Lately I have been feeling down. I'm sick of the negativity. I'm sick of hearing about strategy and stretch and blackrock and Trump coins and the bitcoin strategic reserve and BIP 110. If I never see Saylor's face again it will be too soon. This is my third bear market, but it feels a lot uglier than the last two. Even OGs are upset about the fiat price. Bitcoiners are either losing hope or viciously attacking their former friends.
That's why I enjoyed last night so much. We had a little dinner/meetup at a local bar. Nothing formal. Just a few bitcoiners who have known each other for a while "shooting the shit", as we say in New York. One of us is a pretty prominent bitcoiner, so he told a few anecdotes about bitcoin celebrities he knows. We talked about a few controversial issues. Sure, there were disagreements, but everyone was allowed to make their points without being called retarded. That was refreshing. Mostly, there was optimism about the future, and a lot of laughs. I felt rejuvenated on the car ride home.
If you are a bitcoin hermit I advise you to get out, attend a meetup, or start one yourself. You won't regret it.
Another way of looking at this, I went down the rabbit hard just like many of us, but over the years have found myself coming up for air more and more often. I find it useful to engage with the so-called normies, to go so far as to spend most of my social time with people who don't care or understand Bitcoin (though I do hangout with Bitcoiners when I can).
It is not that people who are not interested in Bitcoin are wrong or missing something, they just see the world differently. I know it is hard to believe, but state intervention in money and inflation just does not tickle everyone's fancy - there is a whole world of people who will look at it and just say "it is what it is."
There is more to life than Bitcoin, there are many things to be hopeful for, and much that is valuable. I think we can learn a lot from different people.
I still run my node and entertain a good conspiracy or two, but I also know there is a vast world of literature, art, food, family and friends, and all those things out there that make life worth living - there are people passionate about freedom and beauty and truth who don't know the first thing about Bitcoin. Maybe one day they will learn, maybe not - but it's all good.
Very well said.
And you created a ripple effect by spreading rejuvenation to us. Good vibes are contagious
It’s not an easy road being a bitcoiner and it seems most of the world won’t just figure it out as I had hoped. They will adopt bitcoin out of desperation but that means our grind will be longer than most of us expected.
haha sometimes it feels that way. At least I look skinny in this picture. haha
While "waiting", let's not lose track of Bitcoin being very much usable today.
Very true.
You are so right. Nothing to add
Sorry, I couldn’t read past the first paragraph.
You should hang out with as many different people in life as possible.
No. Most people are clueless assfaces. Filter strictly and guard your kind and time.
(But I dooo take your point to expose yourself to reasonable others — key word, reasonable)
You’re a good example of why you’re wrong.
I do have to fight my natural misanthropic tendencies.
I'm currently on the inverse of what you're describing, coming from attending occasional conferences and meetups to no longer going. It's like an oscillating habit for me because I've been in both transitions of increasing and decreasing involvement more than once before.
Especially at the smaller conferences, the break mingling and "hardcore" afterparty crowd are a lot of fun and I've met tons of people and hung with them; many of them or their work are discussed here on SN. It's cool to actually know the person behind what's being talked about; happened 3 times on different front-page SN posts yesterday alone, but it's at the same time cringe because the internet is toxic and often wrong. I'm not going to correct people though; I'd not succeed and if they wanna learn they have to find out for themselves.
So yes. Get out there mfs. It will be like washing your mouths with soap (or in some cases, DDT) and you will not say such ugly stuff about people anymore.
I miss the Bitcoin party scene sometimes, but on the other hand, I am at the moment building my personal empire, Solarian style. I overflow with inspiration and I don't really need the external influence right now, even though it would probably make me happier (as unlike you, I am an extrovert)
What, no, internet toxic??? I dinnaae believe it
@optimism Totally agree. Sometimes you need the tribe, and sometimes you just need to isolate and build.
On the internet it is easy to be in a bubble, and when you are in the bubble all you can see if the differences. But when we are out in the world, where Bitcoin is a really tiny weird niche thing, it's us against the world -- and that means it's easier to see that we are all on the same team.
My real-life experiences with bitcoiners are far more reasonable and companionable than many interactions online. People are people, so why should it be we should get along so awfully?
I don't find the things dominating bitcoin discussions uninteresting or annoying but I do miss having discussions about how bitcoin can and will improve the world.
It can't and it won't! We're all screwed!
I relate to this post 1,000%
This is why I enjoyed SNIRL at TabConf last year. Hanging out with stackers was a blast!!
I hope to do it again this fall at the last TabConf!
Like you I have the same fears 5 dollar wrench attacks. But I been thinking of becoming more public. Starting a meet up in my neighborhood. Download club Orange and have more of public appearance and help people take more responsibility over their finances before it is too late.
When a bitcoiner calls me retarded, it just makes me feel even more in the club
Are you even a Bitcoiner if you're not retarded?
100%, friend.
Really appreciate this, too. Still keeping it that way:
...and yes, everyone's retarded so gotta call em out
That was a cool tribe vibe!
I'm literally living that hermit life right now. I think I somehow have to get over the paranoia.
At what point do people begin to identify as a bitcoiner? And what exactly does that mean?