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Bitcoin - Despised Freedom – 1/1 Original: Discover a masterpiece that draws attention to social parallels in the course of human history in an aesthetic way – handmade, unique, and unshakeable.
 
 
A letter to the human being of the future:
 
With my pencil artwork "Bitcoin - Despised Freedom", that I completed with block 789868, I would like to describe to you how Bitcoin and its pioneers were often misrepresented in the early years of this renaissance. You may be amazed when you read block '789868' and wonder what it must have been like back when Bitcoin was still in its infancy and find it hard to imagine what I'm about to tell you.
 
I know now, at this moment as I write these words, that whether it is the block 10.000.000, 21.000.000 or much later, you perceive Bitcoin as one of the most normal and natural things in the world, though it was not always so in the minds of your ancestors.
 
At the time I created this drawing, Bitcoin has been fully functional for just over 14 years, yet a lot has happened in these years. Not only with Bitcoin as a monetary network itself, but also (geo)politically, economically, societally around the world.
 
At that time, our species was going through a difficult phase in its timeline. A phenomenon affecting the vast majority of people and certainly a massive number of animals on the planet in some way, caused by a broken financial system that had become ever more toxic over many decades. Money controlled by states and banks.
 
Some people, the cypherpunks and also Satoshi Nakamoto, realized early enough that this financial system was the cause of numerous problems and with the rise of the Internet, privacy, and money on the Internet would one day become elemental.
 
Bitcoin was to spring up and flourish like a lotus flower in the middle of the chaotic mud of a major global economic crisis. But only a tiny fraction of people paid attention to it. Even fewer understood Bitcoin and recognized the possibilities and necessity of an uncontrollable, scarce and neutral money.
 
This Bitcoin lotus had a hard time taking root at first: while the world recovered from a near-collapse in the short term, Bitcoin was little more than a gimmick in its earliest days and was left smirking even by many IT experts.
 
In the months that followed, Bitcoin was listed on an exchange for the first time, attracting initial interest. The digital, supposedly anonymous payment method was used for illegal purchases on the Internet due to its P2P electronic cash properties.
 
More than a decade later, Bitcoin still has a reputation for being money for criminals. But I know, and I'm sure you know even better, that Bitcoin's transparency makes it an unwise choice for funding criminal activity. You will laugh, our current fiat money is much better suited to this.
 
As interest grew, so did Bitcoin's exchange value into our current currencies. Yes, the world had umpteen different currencies back then. Many countries had their own to compete with others. You probably don't understand this and believe me, neither do I. The rising prices led to increasing speculation prices would fall or climb even further. Consequently, Bitcoin was quickly branded as a vehicle for speculation in order to multiply one's money.
 
This is certainly highly strange for you, as Bitcoin is probably the most stable thing you know. That reputation also stubbornly clings to Bitcoin and makes it difficult for many people to appreciate the true and significant reasons why it was discovered and why this new type of monetary system exists.
 
However, the current prevalent prejudices and misconceptions will seriously knock your socks off: Bitcoin is a waste of energy and an environmental polluter. Before you smile or marvel, don't forget that people often have more opinions than knowledge, especially about things that are new to them. I don't think you can blame the majority of people for creating such mindsets. After all, our current media coverage, which is mostly state-funded, does a good job of spreading these untruths.
 
I can't tell you whether states and the media are doing this out of ignorance or calculation. One thing is certain: Bitcoin is a direct competitor to their monetary system, which has been growing progressively unstable for decades as it is based on debt, credit, and inflation.
 
I honestly wonder how much importance Bitcoin has in your world. How crucial it is to the global energy supply. What happened to the Kardashev scale? What technologies have been made possible by Bitcoin that my peers and I could not have imagined in 2023?
 
Amid all these prejudices and misconceptions, the Bitcoin network is growing. It is rapidly expanding energy usage and the hash rate is soaring, despite mining bans in some regions of the world. It was already the most secure network in the world after 10 years of operation and has already reached 400 exahash/second. You are probably smiling at that moment due to this hash rate level.
 
There are plenty of good reasons why Bitcoin is spreading. Though, the probably most wonderful thing is that not only is the Bitcoin network itself thriving, but with it a network of brilliant people around the world who all stand for the same values. Values that our civilization is gradually losing due to the debt-money system and the oppressive hamster wheel.
 
Bitcoin is receiving more and more attention from all walks of life. These pioneers are recognizing the need for free money and with a blazing flame of passion are aiming to spread their knowledge, insights, and the real reasons why Bitcoin was born, which eventually had to happen.
 
To some extent, the enthusiasm of many of these pioneers is so strong that it is interpreted by their colleagues and large parts of the other ~99 %, who have not yet recognized Bitcoin, as a toxic, even cult-like group of nutcases and weirdos. This is likely another reason why numerous people are distancing themselves from Bitcoin.
 
The next few years will arguably be the most formative for our civilization in a long time. So much is happening. So much upheaval and change at a speed that is presumably to be frightening for many. But at the same time, Bitcoin gives me and a lot of others a sense of peace and calm. Even if the previous narratives that Bitcoin and its early pioneers have had to endure shall certainly not be the last, it is worth standing up for something so brilliant and pivotal every day.
 
There is a brightly shining orange light on the horizon, and it intensifies with each passing day. By the time you read these words, this light will certainly have reached and changed the world in every nook and cranny for innumerable blocks. After all, remember: The past is in our heads, the future is in our hands.