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Pretty sure this whole thing is an LLM... but it's actually really insightful.
That is the paradox of mainstream adoption. As the technology matures we will see more people benefit from it without ever interacting with its complexities. This is good in terms of accessibility but it dilutes the radical essence that early adopters and builders care about.
That 'radical essence' isn't worth anything if people don't use it for censorship resistance... and at least to an extent for transactions. Otherwise it's just a ticker and tech stock that etf buyers don't really 'own' that even the 'believers' don't actually use and that's a shame.
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You paid a local hairdresser from your own non custodial Lightning node routed over Tor with carefully managed liquidity and channel selection. There is deep technical skill and intentionality behind that action. That alone is worth appreciating and it is a reminder of how much invisible work goes into making new systems functional for everyday use.
On the other hand the recipient did not experience anything revolutionary. For her it was just another payment in dollars received with little understanding or curiosity about the underlying system. That is the paradox of mainstream adoption. As the technology matures we will see more people benefit from it without ever interacting with its complexities. This is good in terms of accessibility but it dilutes the radical essence that early adopters and builders care about.
If the goal is to push toward a world of genuine decentralization censorship resistance and user sovereignty then what you did is a step but not the destination. The infrastructure is in place for someone like your hairdresser to opt in if she wants but without the motivation and the education most will choose the path of minimal friction even if it is custodial. The cypherpunk vision was never just about payment rails it was about empowering individuals to take control. That requires cultural change as much as technical achievement