Thinktank Thursday: #1 - Bewilderingly Disappointed.

That was my first revelation when I entered the cryptocurrency, blockchain space. It wasn't because I had come to understand the ups and downs of this world. It wasn't all the FUD that was leaking into the arena. It wasn't even Bcash or Bitcoin Cash or Bitconnect or any other seemingly scammy spectacle that can rear its ugly head from time to time. No, it was something much more confounding; albeit not without a silver lining.

My bewildering disappointment came from people who don't understand (or don't seem to want to understand) what the crypto world is all about. It comes from our friends and family members. Our significant others, teachers, parents, siblings, media pundits. Each word spoken with a sense of omniscient power. I call them the "HA, see"s.

"HA, see, Bitcoin isn't backed by anything"
"HA, see, those exchanges got hacked, it's not safe"
"HA, see, those countries are banning all crypto trading. It will soon happen in the US"
"HA, see, Bitcoin fell 20% in one day"

Some of these statements are factually true, but lack a full understanding of what is happening.

Exempli Gratia:

Yes, Bitcoin can fall sharply in a day, or even in a smaller time frame. However, over the course of its lifetime, Bitcoin is up an exuberant percentage. This is normal, healthy consolidation.

Day trader, Swing trader, or Hodler, you're out there having fun in this wild wild west type microcosm and maybe even making money whilst doing so. You're not bothering these people or flaunting around your new found happiness. And even if you were, anyone can jump into this space in a multitude of ways. There are NO roadblocks for the anti-crypto crowd. So why all the hate?

This is where the silver lining I referenced comes into play. This is an opportunity to see ugly traits in others and to work to evict that trait from within yourself. (NOTE: There are real skeptics out there with real concerns. This is not to say "don't listen to anyone who speak ill of crypto", as you should always listen to all viewpoints. This is pointed towards the "HA, seers" out there.)

To see friends and family actively root against crypto solely because they have a human desire to be correct is disheartening. You would rather watch me fail at something I tend to enjoy, solely because it would prove you right? That took awhile for me to wrap my head around. It wasn't until I looked inward that I finally found some clarity. My epiphany came to me in a similar manner as Dr. Gregory House would receive his: A seemingly meaningless line of a song by none other than Childish Gambino;

"Don't be mad cause I'm doing me better than you're doing you."

Right then I knew what was happening. It wasn't because I dislodged my inner empath to the surface of my psyche, I wasn't setting out to make someone out to be the big bad wolf. It was because I had felt jealousy and resentment towards others in my past because they were succeeding. That's hard to write! I realized in that moment, the pointed lyrics of "Sweatpants" shooting out of my headphones poking me in the face, that I was being rooted against because they felt as though they have missed out on something. This isn't FOMO. This is BOMO. Bitterness Of Missing Out.

The moral of the story is: Don't let the negativity dissuade you from this space if you love it. You can do good here. For yourself and others. When we make it to the moon, we will do things differently. We will keep our success personal. And we will help others up.