“Touched the mirror, broke the surface of the water, saw my true self, all illusions shattered”

The root misunderstanding of Bitcoin lies in the extreme lack of understanding about money. So before asking anything about Bitcoin we must discover what money is, where it has come from, and what characteristics make one money more desirable over another.

We must touch the mirror, break the surface and shatter all illusions.

“Money is only paper, only ink, we’ll destroy ourselves if we can’t agree”

It is often surprising to find that the most eloquent explanations of abstract concepts come from artists and musicians, and not from economists or ‘experts’ in the specified field. As Tracy melodically explains, money is an abstraction – it can be any arbitrary object which the market selects. The most important function of money is to facilitate agreement between a willing buyer and a willing seller.

All wars are fought over economic reasons, contrary to official narratives. Neighbours stop fighting when they start trading. Humans find ways to turn zero-sum games into win-win games. Money enables strangers to cooperate, agree and make mutual progress. If we can’t agree, we’ll destroy ourselves.

“But the turbulent waters won’t reflect this life, only the sun moon and stars”

Life is a messy business. We need ideas, rituals and perceived constants to guide us on our way. If our money is not trustworthy our economies will be turbulent and destructive. Like the sun, moon and stars we need our money to be reliable and predictable. It must act as a consistent measuring stick. With better money we can fairly value goods and services, and immunize our time and labour against dilution.

Buy bitcoin and stack sats!

A note on the artist:

Tracy Chapman possesses remarkable insight, compassion and understanding in her music. The perennial debate about gun rights and ownership endlessly repeats. In her song “Bang, Bang, Bang” Chapman offers beautiful insight into the root causes of violence. Chapman echoes the African proverb “The child who is not embraced by the village, will burn it down just to feel its warmth”.