{"id":338,"date":"2015-09-03T08:23:33","date_gmt":"2015-09-03T08:23:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/?p=338"},"modified":"2015-09-02T14:20:42","modified_gmt":"2015-09-02T14:20:42","slug":"bitcoin-as-a-vehicle-for-personal-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/bitcoin-as-a-vehicle-for-personal-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitcoin as a Vehicle for Personal Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>There seems to be a problem here<\/strong><br \/>\nOften times when talking with people about Bitcoin, I get a lot of questions about safety and security. \u00a0This usually leads to a discussion culminating with the questioner\u2019s realization of their own ignorance of how money actually works. \u00a0This bothers me. \u00a0Why does society know so little about something that literally affects almost every aspect of their life? \u00a0Whatever your dream is, whatever you\u2019re trying to accomplish in life, it probably involves money. \u00a0The current infrastructure of money could be the most deeply-rooted part of our society and, simultaneously, the most misunderstood. People are quick to criticize and question the validity of a new currency or transaction system\u2014while blindly trusting the system they currently use\u2014 even though they know almost nothing about it. Sometimes, people can even be hostile towards anything that challenges this system.<\/p>\n<p>This reoccurring situation of blissful ignorance has lead to a lot of thought on my part, and as I\u2019ve dug deeper and deeper, it seems to stem from a common desire to offload personal responsibility. \u00a0We aren\u2019t attempting to solve problems, or even understand problems; we simply leave it to someone else to think about. \u00a0We assume that someone else is better equipped to handle the issue and, subsequently, don\u2019t think about it at all. \u00a0The only time it becomes front page news is when it turns bad and is likely to cause a negative effect on one\u2019s life. \u00a0We aren\u2019t worried about out debt until we can\u2019t afford to make minimum payments, so we rack it up until then. \u00a0When it comes to that point, it is often asked, \u201c<em>why didn\u2019t anyone tell me that this would happen?<\/em>\u201d \u00a0Maybe even a \u201c<em>how has a system like this been put into place that takes advantage of people like me?<\/em>\u201d \u00a0This has led me to question our core fundamental behaviors and what motivates them. \u00a0Does the current infrastructure of money, how we fundamentally transact value on a daily basis, reinforce the behavior of offloading personal responsibility, or is this just a symptom of natural human behavior?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-355\" src=\"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog1.jpg\" alt=\"pettyblog1\" width=\"600\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog1-300x144.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog1-450x216.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>We don\u2019t need to worry about that, someone else is doing it for us<\/strong><br \/>\nI think, deep down, I am attracted to Bitcoin because it puts the onus for financial responsibility squarely in the hands of the individual. \u00a0This idea, taking personal responsibility for oneself, is something I find to be extremely valuable in personal development. \u00a0With Bitcoin, if you lose your password, you\u2019ve lost your bitcoin. \u00a0If you don\u2019t secure your bitcoin, and someone hacks you and steals them, you\u2019ve lost your bitcoin. \u00a0There isn\u2019t someone you can complain to to get it back. \u00a0It is your fault, and you have to deal with that. \u00a0This seems scary and a potential downside to most people. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Because most have never had to worry about taking responsibility for their own personal wealth, they\u2019ve offloaded it to others and trust that is secure. \u00a0It has always been someone else\u2019s job to fix whatever mistake they\u2019ve made with their money. \u00a0I think that by changing the very basis of how we transact value (i.e. Bitcoin), we can bring back a bit of that natural education towards securing yourself from threats outside.<\/p>\n<p>You might be thinking \u201c<em>does this really matter?<\/em>\u201d \u00a0Here are just a few examples of how this line of thinking can deter you as an individual:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1.)<\/strong> &#8220;If it isn\u2019t my fault, then someone else can handle it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This only hinders our ability to understand the world, as well as the people around us. \u00a0Every time this crosses our minds, we feed a natural tendency to not take part, to isolate ourselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2.)<\/strong> If someone else will always fix it, then I need not worry about it, or even think about it.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This is the entrance to corruption, people don\u2019t take advantage of others if they know they will be caught. \u00a0If they do, then they\u2019ve done it long enough to feel a significant power advantage, so as to not be punished.<\/li>\n<li>If you have a problem with something you purchased or service you\u2019ve requested, you tell your credit card company or bank, and they issue you a chargeback. \u00a0Cool. \u00a0The problem with this is days later the money is taken from the provider, without a way to rectify the problem. \u00a0By letting someone else take care of it, you deprive the provider to better his service, or understand the problem. \u00a0With Bitcoin, there are no chargebacks. \u00a0It is just as if you handed someone cash for a service. \u00a0If there is a problem, a dialogue must begin in order for it to be solved, with allows things to improve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>This is subtly and profoundly changing us<\/strong><br \/>\nNow, I\u2019m not writing this to point out my personal problems with how we interact socially. \u00a0I\u2019m trying to say that maybe the infrastructure of money influences how we interact with people a little more than it did previously. \u00a0I mean, think about it. \u00a0We move our money in a very dehumanizing way. \u00a0You don\u2019t even have to talk to anyone to purchase things. \u00a0You just swipe a plastic card and it\u2019s yours. \u00a0That number in your online banking is then a little bit less, until it gets bigger when your job auto deposits some more numbers in. \u00a0No human contact. \u00a0To further this, I have always felt as though modern societal norms attempt to drive focus towards trivialities, and subtly teaches the masses to \u201cleave all important decisions to someone more qualified than you.\u201d For instance, many know about current affairs with celebrities who contribute nothing of real value to society but are unable to name their state congressmen.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the problem with this trend. \u00a0A society raised in this culture doesn\u2019t cultivate responsibility, which stifles many aspects of personal improvement. \u00a0If no important decisions are ever left up to the individual, then how do they learn how to deal with important decisions? \u00a0They don\u2019t, or their solutions are trivial (not even worth the words they use to communicate the solution). \u00a0If our children think this way from the beginning, we are shaping little humans to not care about their fellow man. \u00a0Here\u2019s an example that\u2019s a little more concrete. \u00a0If a child breaks a beloved toy through improper care or negligence of some kind, and the solution is to replace the toy, then a child can never learn to take care of his belongings. \u00a0By depriving the negative emotions of loss, you never learn the ability to accept the consequences of personal actions. \u00a0I think the core idea of this childish example is reinforced in many aspects of our lives, starting from childhood and continuing through adulthood.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why don\u2019t we care about this?<\/strong><br \/>\nNow, humor me that it is possible that our money system influences the way we interact with each other negatively. \u00a0How has this happened, and why does it continue? \u00a0I think it could be due to our outdated view of money. \u00a0It seems to me that most people carry around the same monetary ideals of a person that lived in medieval times would have, probably because that is the societal education we receive about money. \u00a0For example, when we hear the story of Robin Hood, we automatically paint a picture in our heads that includes little cloth pouches of gold coins attached at the hip containing a person\u2019s money for the day. \u00a0If they wanted to buy something, they fished out the right amount, the vendor bit the coin to test metallic malleability (thus validity), and a transaction was made: bread was purchased, people were bribed, snake oil was sold, etc. \u00a0We\u2019d assume that people didn\u2019t carry around all of their personal wealth in that pouch because that would simply be irresponsible&#8211; they weren&#8217;t dummies! \u00a0If you were robbed in those days you lost everything, and you couldn\u2019t do anything about it. \u00a0Filing an identity theft claim with your bank or credit card holder was obviously not an option. \u00a0But people understood this, and they kept their personal wealth safe somewhere. \u00a0If they had a good amount of money, we\u2019d assume they kept a large portion in the local bank, stored in a safe and guarded by people with weapons. \u00a0It was harder to access because you had to go to a physical location to make withdrawals, but inconvenience is the price you pay for security, right? \u00a0I would venture a guess that the VAST MAJORITY of people hold these same assumptions when thinking about our current time and place. Perhaps we tell ourselves that the current system is simply the same thing, but has had layers and layers of convenient tools added on top that allow us to check and access our money in the bank. \u00a0That, my friends, is where things go awry.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It isn\u2019t what you thought it was<\/strong><br \/>\nFast forward to modern times where there are major differences. \u00a0Our society is not aware of the consequences of the current system <em>because they think money behaves in much the same way as the medieval example<\/em>. \u00a0Our views are outdated. \u00a0In these imaginary \u201colden days,\u201d there were tangible goods that represented personal wealth, which could be taken or used whenever desired. \u00a0Today, if everyone wants to actually take their money out of the bank, everything would fall apart. \u00a0Banks aren\u2019t holding all of the physical money; they&#8217;re holding an IOU, which is not actually tied to anything physical anymore. \u00a0It is simply a digital number recorded and maintained by someone else. \u00a0I\u2019ll write more on this later (this thing is long already!), but just google fractional-reserve banking, and then start crying. \u00a0If you want to watch something, <a href=\"https:\/\/theendofmoneyasweknowit.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">this<\/a> is a great documentary. \u00a0But trust me, things probably aren\u2019t working they way you think they are.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-356\" src=\"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog2.jpg\" alt=\"pettyblog2\" width=\"600\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog2-300x144.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/pettyblog2-450x216.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why Bitcoin then?<\/strong><br \/>\nBecause the Bitcoin network, with its digital cash-esque vibe, puts the responsibility directly in your hands and thereby cultivates a more self-aware financial picture\/landscape for the individual. \u00a0It, ironically, puts the financial system closer to we as people think about money. \u00a0Our pouches of money are our cell phones, our vault at home is a paper wallet we have stored offline, our banks are ourselves or some trusted online wallet with advanced security practices. \u00a0Now, with Bitcoin, the technology is concurrent with the times. \u00a0In a world where cryptocurrencies are the norm, personal asset security is commonplace. \u00a0It HAS to be. \u00a0The idea of knowing where your money is and how it is secured is a thought process that MUST occur. \u00a0The responsibility is back in our own hands, and not left up to others who will misuse it. \u00a0A child raised with these ideals hammered into him from his surroundings grows up taking responsibility for his own wealth. \u00a0Maybe because of this, his ideals towards personal responsibility in general are improved.<\/p>\n<p>Outside of the sociological impact, we are in desperate need to upgrade the way we transact value to get in line with today\u2019s technology, which is constantly pushed towards the idea of convenience. \u00a0Every aspect of life has become faster, easier. \u00a0We have 1-click purchasing with quick deliveries. \u00a0Your refrigerator can remind you that you are running out of yogurt, and then place an order for you to have it delivered in a few days! \u00a0This is all well and good, and I love convenience, but the transactional foundation this is built upon is essentially a piecemeal tricked-out Pony Express. The very core of exchanging value is archaic. \u00a0We moved away from delivering letters to sending emails. \u00a0How about we do the same for money?<\/p>\n<p>Because of this all-encompassing technology in our lives, the security of everything we deem important about our wealth isn\u2019t even considered by the vast majority. It is left to someone else. \u00a0It is ASSUMED safe, when in reality it isn\u2019t. Or at least not nearly as safe as we wrongly presume. \u00a0The current infrastructure involved with the storage of personal wealth doesn\u2019t reinforce personal security practices, which is leaving people wholly inadequately prepared to secure themselves in a the modern world. \u00a0Why else is it that identity theft is so prevalent? \u00a0It is because it is SO EASY to manipulate the ignorance of people\u2019s security practices. \u00a0Bitcoin helps solve this problem because it forces you to worry about your passwords and the security of your money. \u00a0These are just a few reasons why I have chosen to adopt bitcoin now, and why I will continue to help the people around me learn more about the system, how it works, and why it is so much better than what is currently in use.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There seems to be a problem here Often times when talking with people about Bitcoin, I get a lot of questions about safety and security. \u00a0This usually leads to a discussion culminating with the questioner\u2019s realization of their own ignorance of how money actually works. \u00a0This bothers me. \u00a0Why does society know so little about [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","unlock_protocol_post_locks":"","publish_to_discourse":"","publish_post_category":"","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=338"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":358,"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/338\/revisions\/358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebitcoinpodcast.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}