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Ask me anything:)
how do I start a podcast the right way?
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I don't know about 'right way'. There are lots of courses and stuff online which teach you how to get set up..none of which I followed, lol. I honestly just started it because I had to have these conversations for myself. I don't really think about audience, following, downloads etc. My primary aim is just to be myself and let my curiosity be my guide. I'm humbled that some people enjoy it, and that some cool brands have been willing to support it, but I've always just treated it as me getting the chance to hang with cool/exceptional people, and have an authentic dialogue about things which we find mutually meaningful, and ideally, finish with a more refined or truthful perspective on things. If it's something you're interested in, I wouldn't over think it. Use your existing gear and give it a whirl;)
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You're starting a podcast super?!
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no I just tried to think of a question that would get lots of upvotes
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If Bitcoin is the money messiah, what will happen to its followers should it fall?
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This is a really interesting question. Perhaps it will have shown the way, and not it's up to 'us' (again), to live out the principles it represented, without the means of verifying that others are doing the same? How much faith ya got in humanity? lol.
One saving grace for sure though, is that bitcoin helped us all find each other. Losing bitcoin would be devastating, but it has caused us all converge, and I think that would still be tremendously valuable.
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The real question is can a messiah fall? If the arch of a messiah ends at a sacrificial alter for the betterment of all, does the messiah not actually elevate even higher into the collective conscience?
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Perhaps. I suppose it at least partially depends on the 'why and how' of the sacrifice. In bitcoin's case, the beauty of it is that it further instantiates 'messianic principles' into the world, serving as both representation and actual tool. In this way I think it draws out or entices those same principles that are latent within us, in a more robust or reliable way than otherwise. Of course, if everyone was an enlightened, 100% trustworthy being, perhaps it wouldn't be necessary (and I do think the future culture will operate MUCH more on trust), but as that is an unlikely scenario, I'm happy to have the help which bitcoin provides:) Perhaps at some point bitcoin will just serve as some kind of 'spiritual boot loader', where once one is transformed through their relationship with it, they 'need' it less and less? Or maybe instead of that it will just be one of the primary tools for accessing the grace of god, and communicating it to others (via you 'value signals') which it carries. In this way bitcoin becomes both a method for accessing, and the rails for transmitting, 'godly principles...or something like that;)
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This feels like it begs the question, will Bitcoin transform the lives of people to the point where the messiah is found in actual people? Satoshi embodied some of those principles but was anonymous. If Bitcoin is actually leading people to Ultimate Truth, or union with God, will they be willing to make the meme a reality and die on the hill if necessary? John, do you believe there is currently anyone who has been so transformed that they would be honestly willing to sacrifice their life for their belief in Bitcoin?
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Simply: Yes and Yes
That said, I don't think the 'ultimate sacrifice' is necessarily a requirement to embody and live out 'messianic principles'. At the end of the day, the wouldn't be 'the truth', if they weren't supportive of the best possible LIFE one can lead. Of course, confronting death, or other choices of extreme consequence, can often require you to 'reveal' what the principles which animate you truly are, and that's where the rubber really meets the road. Perhaps the easiest way to put it is - If you're not willing to die for them, are they really your most deeply held principles? (Probably not).
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I'd disagree slightly with the viewpoint that the ultimate sacrifice isn't a requirement. I'm not arguing that one would need to have a death of their physical being to become a messiah, but my opinion is that most religious texts speak in parables to make "experiences" more digestible without those direct experiences being had. The death of Christ in the Bible is an example. The story shows the death of his physical being, but the message is bigger. It's the death of his attachment to his physical being that the story represents. After his acceptance of the inevitable nature of life that he may truly begin his life unified with the divine. Therefore, I would agree with what you said in "Of course, confronting death, or other choices of extreme consequence can often require you to 'reveal' what the principles which animate you truly are". This was long-winded, but yes, I agree Bitcoin is going to act as a powerful tool that people will use to become closer to the holy spirit if you will. My final question, because I have to go take a call, is this; when are we going to jump on a Pod together again ser?
I guess that's what Bitcoin really is. Everybody a sovereign. Nobody gonna tell you how it needs to be. Think for yourself and add your own value. I guess Jesus didn't want people 'following' him. He wanted people having being their own personal Jesus.
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I agree.
And should Bitcoin get crucified, say, I suspect it'll be resurrected somehow.
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Yeah... Resurrected as monero.
We'll have organise into a church and prophesize the return of Satoshi.
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tell of satoshi's return as a rebirth allegory. each time someone adopts a bitcoin standard, they are born anew
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They will become shitcoiners. But they will probably still celebrate things like bitcoin pizza day, hal finneys tweet and so on. But who knows
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Will the legacy system collapse before we see a hyperbitcoinized world? Or is there a soft landing somehow?
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Who the hell knows. It's hard for me to see a scenario where there isn't significant turbulence, to put it lightly. So many people are so 'asleep', don't 'own' their minds, I doubt they will wake up in time, and most likely will actually continue to contribute to the acceleration of their own destruction. I think the best we can hope for is to build strong bonds, networks etc. with those who are awake, and who share similar values, and do our best to continue to pursue truth, and express and build what we find into the world and culture we are creating with those people. An orderly unwind of clown world seems unlikely, however that doesn't mean that WAY more people can be saved or save themselves than is currently the case.
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Agree. It seems that the digital fairytale called the Matrix is starting to map over reality quite well these days. Also emphasizes that this is a personal journey for each one of us.
I've started asking friends who've shown interest into Bitcoin what their questions are on this new money? I always get back a very personalized set of questions, and I would encourage them to answer those questions themselves.
In a way we are so trained to somebody else give us an answer instead of figuring it out for ourselves. Like me asking you what the hell's gonna happen :). I guess I should ask myself what I can do to contribute to this transition, that's all I can really do anyways.
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Ya, I agree. The 'unknown' is so much larger than our limited, local 'known', so it's natural that we would probe others for answers, if for no other reason that to refine our own perspective. But yes, in times like these, when the doom scrolling can really make you think that the end is nigh, focusing on the freedom and beauty you ARE surrounded by, and doing your best to amplify or contribute to it (or other things which you deem worthwhile), is probably the most rational and effective strategy.
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The legacy system is all in on the internet with CBDCs and digital passports so it will do what it can to protect it so with that in mind there can only be a soft landing
Worst downside / best upside since leaving Canazuela?
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Leaving family is the downside...literally everything else is the upside lol. Sadly I haven't seen any of my closest friends back home say anything about what is going on, everyone just rationalizes everything and takes it all lying down. I'd struggle to be in such an environment right now. In my travels since leaving I've met a ton of amazing bitcoiners, which as been incredible. I've always been a bit of a nomad, so it hasn't been a big adjustment.
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At the beginning of Money Messiah, you say we have "extremely unjust system of money." What was your path to seeing fiat money this way?
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I'm actually not sure. I had a lot of exposure to a fairly infamous 'oddball tycoon' when I was younger, and all the things he used to talk about, way outside the bounds of 'normal interests' most likely poured gasoline on what was already a very curious mind. I think it was mainly a desire to see the world as 'clearly' as I could. When that ultimately lands on money, banking, finance etc, I think it's hard not to inevitably land on the realization that our money system is unjust. As a result I became a gold bug first, and then later into bitcoin. I do remember one of the Zeitgeist movies, perhaps the first, leaving a fairly strong impact. I was also a weed smoker as a young teenager. Never in an 'unhealthy' way. But when I had my work, exercise etc done, and I was just going to chill anyways, I'd smoke to amplify it. As a result I came to know Marc Emery 'The Prince of Pot' in Canada. He was being extradited to the US for selling weed seeds. I saw an interview of him and he was wearing a Ron Paul t-shirt. So then I searched Ron Paul, and went down that rabbit hole. I guess it's a constantly evolving understanding of it all, and hopefully a more accurate perception of the (unjust) truth of the matter.
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Biggest rabbit hole epiphany?
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Did you read 'Money Messiah'? Basically that so far. Though it's spawned a 'to-write' list that is growing by the day, which puts some more flesh on those ideas. It's all pretty insane really, but these ideas and themes keep emerging, and I'm hopeful that if we do our best to see and think clearly, and collectively refine these ideas, we should inch closer to understanding why.
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I clicked the link, but was intimidated by its length. I will have to conjure up the courage and engage with it.
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Ya it's a long one, but I figured making such a bold claim requires a little bit of context.
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Dream guest to your podcast (excluding JP)?
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I honestly don't have one. I couldn't ask for a better pool to pick from than bitcoiners. I'm always so impressed at how awesome they are. I've done a bunch of pods where I just let anyone jump on, knowing nothing about them, and they've always been awesome. You're just jamming on such a similar frequency when you talk with bitcoiners, with authenticity and humility perhaps being the defining shared characteristics, that it's difficult for any other conversations to compare, even if they are with 'big names'.
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If you could get every Bitcoiner to read one book, what would it be?
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The one their most interested in :p
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Cheating lol
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lol, not trying to be cheeky. I do actually think that is the most valid approach:)
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What are your favorite Lightning Network applications today?
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I don't use many apps tbh. Breeze I use a lot. Blue Wallet also. That said, I expect that to change a lot in the next year, because I think a wave of awesome lightning apps is coming.
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Definitely check out Fountain for Lightning podcasting. They have a great dashboard for podcasters to see lightning messages + lightning tips that listeners are sending in.
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Ya, Fountain is great.
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Most effective orange pilling method?
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Agree with all their doubts and criticisms. 'Yup', 'You're right', 'I agree'. And then when they ask 'So what's your opinion on it?' Me: 'I'm all in'. walks away. Let THEM try and figure out why your NOT crazy lol.
Honestly though, playing it coi probably is the best, as with most sales. I don't do it much anymore. I can't even direct noobs to my pod, because if you're not reasonably far down the rabbit-hole, my stuff will probably turn you further away from bitcoin lol.
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What first drew you in to studying Bitcoin?
What keeps you excited about Bitcoin today?
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The possibility that it was a non-state / non-centrally controlled money was what first got my interest, because I was already quite critical of the fucked up system of money the world had. Man, I'm more excited about bitcoin everyday. All the innovation and real-world uses that are being developed, and what they will mean for freedom, and prosperity, and quality of life etc. is super exciting. Of course, I can't seem to get my mind of the philosophical / spiritual implications of this thing, and that seems to provide a constant stream of juicy ideas to chew on.
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Is Satoshi a case of 'Cosmic Consciousness' as chronicled by Richard Maurice Bucke?
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1002 sats \ 1 reply \ @JV OP 22 Dec 2021
I'm not familiar with RMB, nor specifically what you mean by 'Cosmic Consciousness'. As I mentioned in Money Messiah, whether he determined them consciously or subconsciously (as in, whether he consciously built certain principles in, or instead just 'knew' that to be a success it had to be built a certain way), it seems he 'chose' the right guiding principles . I think the growing, and 'effortless (non-coercive) success of what he built (bitcoin), is proof that those principles align closely with certain 'divine' or 'fundamental' principles. If this is what you mean, then yes, perhaps it's possible this is the case.
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he was another great canadian chasing his own curiosity of humanity's future
120 years ago
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What is the biggest user experience hurdle that you've had when trying to onboard people to bitcoin?
Bonus: any ideas on how to fix it?
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Self-custody / seed management for sure. Buying bitcoin is dead easy now, but going to full self-sovereignty is another huge leap. Of course, it's not only a UX thing, but it's a whole paradigm shift in responsibility, which relatively few are willing to make. But, where there is pain, there is opportunity, and it's great to see solutions popping up to address this issue.
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Totally agree. I don't think people will go back to full self-custody like burying their money in the backyard. Especially when someone can just beat you to a pulp in order to find it.
I hope to see existing and new institutions rising up that serve as a halfway point in-between. Like a fiat bank becomes a chaumian mint that aids in wallet recovery.
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What would make this AMA better for you?
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Beer? lol, I dunno man, it's pretty sweet. I'll think about it and let you know.
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what your favorite podcast?
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That I have done, or that I listen to?
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I honestly really enjoy nearly all the ones I do myself. Hanging out with your friends and talking bitcoin, with no particular angle or topic, is always fun, and the Hodl Hangs are great for that. I also love to listen to my friends appear on other podcasts, so when Gigi, Rob, Erik, Hodl, Untapped, Francis, Booth, Foss, Preston, Saylor, Svetski are guests I usually try to listen to them.
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Why did you interview Kyle Murphy and not Car he's not interesting I am. lol
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Are you getting any interesting volume of sats from your podcasts through value4value? I have definitely streamed some... :)
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when was your first btc tx?
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Nice try IRS ;)
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This may be a heavy one, but bare with me. Assuming that each social/political system inevitably causes some number of people to die, how many people do you think would die in the process of establishing the world to your liking?
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lol. That's an impossible question to answer. I think if people respect the divine sovereignty of one another, they are honest and speak the truth, and they represent and transact their time in an incorruptible money, then that would be a good starting place to minimize unnecessary death in the world.
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I wouldn't know answer to that either to be honest, but I think you dodged it in the right way and I very much agree and appreciate your response :)
This line of thought came from me talking to people that were pushing the "new setup" with accepting that "yes, many people may die, but that's what is needed". And that made me worried. A lot. I think it's important to keep an eye on that.
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What's the best exercise for muscle growth in terms of ROI/time spent?
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Not sure, I haven't optimized for muscle growth in a very long time. I find that martial arts, hill sprints, body-weight exercises (push-ups, chin-ups, squats), trail/beach runs, give me the best mix of mental clarity / enjoyment / nature / strength / adaptability that I am looking for. I'd say my primary optimization is for mental clarity / emotional stability, and I pretty much accept that the actions which foster those also foster a physical body which I'm content with. I guess there's also an element of reducing vulnerability (within reason), so I do things that would give me an above average degree of confidence in any terrain or situation (fighting, sprinting, swimming, speaking etc.) It seems reasonable to me to optimize for what 'moves you through life most successfully', and then trying to figure out which practices or habits most accomplish that. Simplicity is also huge for me. I want to be able to keep up the diet and exercise wherever I am. As a result, I don't use supplements or anything like that. My assumption is that there will always be beef, an open field, or a steep hill nearby, and that that would be totally sufficient. This also helps for the mental clarity component, not having this component of life being too much of a cognitive burden.
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One of the deep insights I gained from your latest article was seeing Man's creations as consciousness externalized. The world seems to be in crisis, would you argue we are in a crisis of consciousness?
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Absolutely. The big question is why. Of course we'd all say that 'the money' plays a massive, perhaps the biggest role, but there are likely others too. The 'death of god' is probably another big one which I've been exploring more lately. It's extremely fascinating that both of these seem to be converging, evolving, or becoming rectified via bitcoin.
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lol John why do you always take off your shirt? Love the podcast btw
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Shirts are for warmth aren't they? I burn hot, so if I can get away with it, I do:) Thanks brother, glad you're enjoying it!
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makes sense John keep up the awesome dialog podcast love the recent episode on sunday
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Thx brother:)
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What is your favourite question to ask podcast guests?
or
What is the question that you ask that gets the most interesting reponses?