Bitcoin institutions for the Bitcoin era

[ad_1]

Fear, Greed, and Admire the Three Rails of Bitcoin Adoption and how the Bitcoin Tree Forum can help.

Whether you care about freedom, economic empowerment, the environment, or human flourishing in general, Bitcoin is a deeply powerful force for good. Unfortunately, this truth is far from obvious and may in fact be totally counterintuitive to the uninitiated. Combine that with the maelstrom of disinformation surrounding Bitcoin and the inherent complexity of the areas it affects and we Bitcoiners have a bit of a PR fiasco on our hands. So far, old-fashioned fear and greed have been the most effective ways for people to cut through the aforementioned bramble in order to participate in this currency revolution. Greed to participate in Number Go Up (NGU) technology and fear that the madness of the current system will demand reliable coverage.

Would it be possible to appeal to more noble impulses of humanity? What about wonder, awe, transcendence, or that feeling of partaking in something much bigger than yourself? Such feelings are often felt when meeting the great cathedrals and monuments that crown the achievements of civilizations, as well as when experiencing the grandeur and beauty of the natural world. I believe we can tap into this positive vein of human nature and impart the finer qualities of Bitcoin on a visceral level by planting trees. Not metaphorically. Literally. Big trees. Giant sequoias, ideally. As the tallest tree in the world, the mighty redwood can live for thousands of years, grow over 250 feet tall, and grow to over 25 feet in diameter. To contemplate a sequoia is to contemplate one of the wonders of nature and to glimpse briefly and very slightly the creative genius of the universe. By pushing our time preference lower, Bitcoin helps us participate more fully in this creative power in our daily lives. The Bitcoin community would be well served if more pre-coiners seized on this ennobling potential.

With Bitcoin, we can undertake more complex efforts and coordinate more deeply in time and space. What better, more cost effective and accessible way to demonstrate this low time preference behavior and net benefits to our species than to embark on the mission of planting redwood groves in every village, town and town with the right climate so that can our descendants revel in their glory 1000 years from now? Bitcoiners planting trees are a great start, but I think this activity could be the seed for something bigger.

So here’s the vision: 1000 years from now, Bitcoin is everywhere, as is a new civic institution called the Bitcoin Tree Forum (Bitcoin Tree Cathedral or Local Bitcoin Forum are other possible names in line with its intent). The Bitcoin Tree Forum is a grove of ancient trees planted by Bitcoiners and managed by Bitcoiners as an act of service for generations to come. It serves as a place to bring together and coordinate human efforts towards projects that promise long-term value for the community. It is a meeting place for citizens who wish to reduce their time preference and participate in something bigger than themselves. At the center of the grove is a publicly accessible Bitcoin node that serves as a portal for communities to transfer value between them and facilitate other use cases yet to be imagined. Bitcoin is a public service and as such I think it should have public interfaces.

When it comes to trees, the bigger and older they are, the better. Therefore, the giant sequoia should be considered first, if the local climate permits. Other impressive trees such as baobab or banyan tree can be used in warmer climates. Another version could involve food-producing trees, such as fruit trees or chestnut trees, whose produce could be a recurring source of income like what Joel from Untapped Growth does with cattle. The important thing is that Bitcoiners are establishing positive long term projects in the physical world and trees are a wonderful and very accessible way to do it.

A Bitcoin Tree forum does not need to be public. It can be as simple as a grove of unmarked trees planted by a Bitcoiner. It can also have a Lightning QR code metal plate anchored nearby to channel donations from anyone inspired to the Human Rights Foundation or a Bitcoin development fund. In its fullest form, it may be a grove of redwoods planted at City Hall with a Bitcoin node running inside a weatherproof enclosure, hosting weekly gatherings for people sharing. the same ideas and doing the job of building civilization. The node-grove can also serve as a direct economic link with a sister city on the other side of the world, thus facilitating cultural exchanges and enrichment. Think of it as a hyper-flexible, opt-in parallel local government helping to re-engage citizens in improving their communities and thus spawning a kind of civic renewal.

If enough Bitcoiners embrace this concept, an incentive structure can be layered, funded by donations. This voluntary cultural enterprise could be called Proof of Growth. For those who wish to participate, whether they are individuals or municipalities, the presentation of proof that their trees are still alive qualifies them for a lottery administered to each half (the details are admittedly delicate). Beyond encouraging the planting of trees, this Proof of Growth festival would have the advantage of helping to initiate a civic culture centered around the most important native Bitcoin event. As early adopters of Bitcoin, we have the opportunity to lay the foundations for a new culture. We should not take this opportunity lightly. Proof of growth could be one such attempt.

To begin with, I started a humble redwood nursery in my backyard with 70 trees to date. I hope to partner with forward-thinking citizens, business owners and mayors to start founding the first Bitcoin Tree forums as soon as possible. For those who wish to participate, I invite you to visit BTreeC.com and sign up for the newsletter. You can also follow me on twitter @btcfangorn. For the skeptics, I urge you to at least plant a few trees, the bigger and more durable the better. Plant a redwood if you can. Someone in 3000 years will thank you.

The best time to start a Bitcoin Tree forum was January 3, 2009. The second best time is now.

This is a guest post from Fangorn. The opinions expressed are entirely theirs and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc. or Bitcoin Magazine.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

[ad_2]