12 sats \ 14 replies \ @k00b 22 Dec 2021 \ on: Shirt is off, egg shells crushed - I'm John Vallis, let's do this AMA bitcoin
If Bitcoin is the money messiah, what will happen to its followers should it fall?
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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