Irrational Optimism — The Spirit Of A Bitcoiner
No retreat, no surrender, Bitcoiners are not here to back down as the fiat establishment might hope.
This is an opinion editorial by Aleks Svetski, author of “The UnCommunist Manifesto,” founder of The Bitcoin Times and Host of the “Wake Up Podcast with Svetski.”
I just came back from incline sprints and chin-up burpees, at 1:30 p.m. in 103 degree Texas heat, listening to “Through the Fire,” “Push it to the Limit” and “Eye of the Tiger.” Oh … and I’m fasting.
Irrational? Yes. Abso-fucking-lutely.
When the fiat establishment thinks they’re dealing with “rational” individuals in Bitcoin, they are deeply mistaken.
When they think that “these Bitcoiners” are just going to be shaken out of the system because of the exchange rate between it and some government-mandated shitcoin, then clearly they’ve not watched this movie before.
We’ve been here before. None of this is new.
There is no surrender. There is no version of this story where real Bitcoiners decide to “sell their bitcoin.”
That shit is locked away. Forever, Laura. For-E-V-E-R.
What these moments do though, is forge the next round of Bitcoiners who have the conviction, courage and character to carry the idea forward.
We have a boundless supply of troops who will keep coming to Bitcoin over time because the alternative is either government and central bank Ponzi schemes, or digital and crypto Ponzi schemes.
There is no safe place to park the product of your labor. There is no realm of integrity where the rules are not changed by some cabal of morons who think they can outcompete gravity.
Bitcoin is the only option, and while they attempt to financially engineer bombs to drop on markets, we grow stronger. We “fight in the shade.”
Time is on our side. That’s a very rare thing, because empires and centrally planned or held institutions are always fighting time.
Greatness
Nothing great was ever built by the obedient, fearful masses.
No great treachery was ever halted through compliance and subservience.
There is no glory in retreat, nor in surrender.
Think about it.
- Alexander the Great.
- Jesus Christ.
- William Wallace.
- The Founding Fathers of America.
- Leonidas and The 300.
You think they didn’t want to give up at some point? You think they didn’t want to throw in the towel? You think they had it “easy”?
Do you think when Alexander was being speared during the siege, he could’ve just turned back and gone home? Or how about Jesus being crucified? He could’ve just “repented” and renounced God (Truth).
They didn’t.
William Wallace just had to whisper “mercy,” while being disemboweled, and perhaps the pain would cease. Instead, with his dying breath, he yells: “Freedom!”
The Founding Fathers and Leonidas could’ve handed in their weapons and made the deal, but instead, they said “Come and Take It.”
Come and take it.
None of them backed down.
They charged, they marched forth, they stood their ground, all in spite of the odds.
This is the same energy real Bitcoiners possess.
They have locked it up and will never yield (pun intended).
This is what it means to be a member of The Remnant.
If you’re still here, then by definition, you remain. You are The Remnant.
The 20% who make the difference. The 20% who matter.
Know Your Enemy
Remember why you’re here.
I am 100% aware of the fact that I could’ve sold some at the top, then bought more now, but that’s no longer my game.
- It’s usually too hard to do, and requires a level of dedication, insight, luck and timing that few on the planet possess. I’m not one of them.
- (Orders of magnitude more important that #1) … Why the fuck would I take profits in toilet paper money, just so I can give 30–50% of that to the enemy? Are you insane? You think I’m here to “get rich”? You think this is about “buying a lambo”? No. I’m here to see the empire of lies burn to the ground. What remains is a foundation upon which we can build a civilization of truth.
The underdog always has the edge because he has nothing to lose.
Compound that with the fact that you have an entire army of people on both sides of the bell curve (no middle-of-the-curve people truly get into Bitcoin), and you have an unrelenting baseline of holders who are prepared to go down with the ship if that’s what it means.
This level of conviction is not in their models.
Our edge is our irrational optimism. No matter the dip, no matter the ridicule, no matter the time scale, no matter the exchange-rate pain, we are never fucking selling.
If the establishment wants to play Chicken, then please do.
You’re going to fuck around and find out, for damn sure.
We shall see who the real Brinksmen are.
Contrapliant
I was recently introduced to a word by PabloF7Z.
Contrapliant. I’m not sure it’s even a word in English, but since we’re always making up words, I’m claiming it. As I’m sure you can tell, it means the opposite of “compliant.”
The way I like to think about it is: “Actively-non-compliant.”
To me, this is the definition of life. Entropy is the status quo and life seems to be that which defies entropy. We don’t understand why, or how, but it does.
Case in point: when I was coming back from my run, I saw this and had to take a photo:
Just like nature, Bitcoin is contrapliant.
They are both alive, and that which lives will always find a way.
Bitcoin and Bitcoiners will never surrender. We will never give up.
We are irrationally optimistic about the future, because as I’ve said many times, a world without Bitcoin, where we own nothing, have no privacy and are doped up on anti-depressants is not a world worth living in.
Let this moment in time serve you. Allow the flames to burn off all that is unnecessary. What’s left is the real you, just with a thicker skin, greater conviction, a higher degree of courage and a character that’s worthy of leading.
You will look back on this moment, and remember what it meant to earn your stripes, and it will give you what you need to maintain the big F.U. energy that makes all the difference.
Become contrapliant, young Bitcoin padawan.
This is your moment.
Now go buy some cheap bitcoin and listen to this playlist: Svetski’s Bear Market Music
This is a guest post by Aleks Svetski, author of “The UnCommunist Manifesto,” founder of The Bitcoin Times and Host of The Wake Up Podcast. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
