We're still here

When I first discovered Bitcoin in 2011, it changed my life. Some people tend to use that term indiscriminately, but in this case, I mean it. From that point on, I've been completely obsessed - another word that people tend to use carelessly. From 2011 until early 2013, I was busy educating myself, connecting with other Bitcoiners, and investing in some of the early Bitcoin start-ups, most of which are long gone. It wasn't until April of 2013 that a new, and large, influx of people discovered Bitcoin, thanks to media coverage of the Cyprus crisis. It was at this point that I started my Blog, "Real Virtual Currency (a factual Bitcoin blog)," and posted daily to dispel myths about the ways in which Bitcoin worked. Most of my time was spent addressing concerns over it being a scam, a Ponzi scheme, insecure, "not real," lacking "intrinsic value," or some combination thereof.

By mid-2013, to my great delight, it seemed that most people had grasped that Bitcoin was indeed something special, and not just Tulip 2.0 or another Furby fad. Media outlets stopped making blatant errors, so I eased up on the gas and began to post more infrequently. I even changed the tagline of my blog to "Real Virtual Currency (a curious Bitcoin blog)" to allow myself a bit more op-ed flexibility.

This is going to be a short post, because I only really have one point to make. Despite claims by seasoned entrepreneurs that early adopter libertarians and anarcho-capitalists will turn on Bitcoin, or that the next phase for Bitcoin will grow beyond these roots, we'll still be here. We've always been here, and we love that the rest of the world is joining in.

We don't particularly mind that others want to regulate Bitcoin for it to gain legitimacy. Sure, we contest the legitimacy of the IRS to steal property, but most of us pay our taxes. For many of us, the singular compelling feature of Bitcoin is that it does not compel a single person. It is a beautiful, free, and voluntary system, wherein people can interact with one another peacefully to create value and economic liberty. And it's really hard to change that.

So please, carry on! We're happy that our baby has grown up so much, and that it has brought others with a rich and diverse set of values into the fold. I never really thought that Bitcoin would catch on with communists, but I stand corrected. The benefits of Bitcoin are so broad and far-reaching that there seems to be a little bit of everything for everybody. And as for Dogecoin... wow.

I do miss some of the great discussions, though. Maybe I'll start writing again just to remind new Bitcoiners that the crazies are still here :-)