The Religiosity In Crypto
Over the past few months hundreds of billions of dollars have been poured into blockchain technologies. Most people, including those developing the ideas don't understand where the projects are going since most are busy enjoying the riches. The sentiment is that Blockchain is the future so pouring money in it makes sense.
Religion functions much the same. Some people long time ago said some things about something. The belief was carried out even though most people did not understand what exactly it was said. Each person formed their own idea about God and those who came in agreement created a dogma. The more people believed in the religious creed the more the prophecies and central belief made sense. The bigger the circle jerking, the better.
Today instead of Bibles we have white papers. Instead of prophecies we have technical analysis. Anyone who speaks against these holy symbols gets castrated. Some are fundamentalists, almost jihadists towards a single coin (I am looking at you Bitcoin crowd) while some others take a more hippy strategy, diversifying and recognizing that there are many Gods. Nonetheless, nobody denies the blockchain. There must be a blockchain in our future.
The human mind, whatever tries to envision, uses the same narratives but in slightly different variations for each and every occasion. This is why it is quite difficult to convince someone outside of their own religion as much it is hard to convince them that Bitcoin might be becoming obsolete. Since everything goes back up or back down eventually, the prophecy will be fulfilled if one is patient enough. Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
Part of the toxicity in crypto right now is that all the people that cause these massive capital movements are gamblers. Some took profits but others continue this addictive and often damaging practise fueling the space with more garbage than ever before. A similar religious manic phase happened before with the web but at least back then we had working products. Today all we have is a revolution in gambling. This addiction is fueling the religiosity since feelings change from extreme sadness to euphoria, mourning and gratification — all the ingredients for a good old cult.
We have come full circle. We are worshipping money but in a different way. We have moved from traditional markets and casinos to financing imaginary concepts and companies. The small company evolved to a startup and the startup has become a white paper. The white paper has become a fork and the fork another fork. Our belief manifests wealth out of thin air. Our prayer is called "Hodl" and our paradise is Lamboland.
Good points raised. I personally believe that the whole crypto tech/movement, which was essentially launched to counteract the poison that is fiat money, has become inextricably tied with the very system it was trying to displace.
The manic obsession with fiat exchange rates is a testament to this fact!
Cryptos have become commodities, not P2P currencies.
Good analogy but I don’t agree that ‘most formed their own option of god’. In reality most people believe what ever their parents believed in and what they are biltoufht up in which is why religion is so fundamentally flawed. There is no real free choice, you just do what your parents did before you.
boiling it down even further, it is really about the power of narrative and its influence over man. Doesn't matter what the narrative pertains to (i.e. religion, money, history, science, etc) so long as it helps man create a framework for understanding. Good post!
Blasphemy! How dare you, infidel! The wrath of the Holy Blockchain will be upon you!
But seriously: yes.
I am waiting for the pitchforks
The Emperor has no clothes, and the pitchforks are toothless.
But wait a minute ... pitchforks, now there's a nice store of value, what with all these Holy Wars. I'm putting my money towards pitchforks. ICO soon!
lol! our God is the blockchain, our holy books are whitepapers, our prophecies are technical analysis, our prayer is Hodl and our paradise is Lamboland! :D
However, there most likely will be a blockchain in our future. Unfortunately it seems that we'll just have to wait for the market to saturate and the quick profit gamblers to lose interest, so that developers will actually have to do something in order to grow!
For the moment, nobody feels the need to work further for something that sells anyway. Which is a shame because I'm sure they could already get some really smart technologies to work.
You dont belive that if you give the technology time it will prove its worthy? Why are you supporting one of those blockchians then? or is it simply because it pays you?
Btw i love the hippie "many gods" approach:D best part for sure.
great post.. thanks for sharing sir....love your post...
With this great musing you earned already more than $65. Isn't it participating in that new believe system too?
Often I have the same feeling like you and all the exiting shouting about that AMAZING platform by the newcomers makes me feel a bit uneasy. What am I doing here?
I am not sure it is religion in the sense of maybe someone or something leading people. I think we should look at the human condition and our need to always have more and be better. We are driven by cryptocurrencies like a lab rat and cheese. Chasing the cheese and getting through the maze and feeling good. We all desire more and better so we jump onto something that makes us feel good. Bitcoin has made people feel pretty good, and now other alt coins are doing the same. Not that it is worshipping but more like the grass is always green over...there...and there...and there....
I have never thought of it in this way. The analogy you have pointed makes so much sense. Just the way it is in religion, its time we come to accept that bitcoin has become obsolete and the success of other cryptos should not be dependent on the technical analysis of one.
Neither should the analysis be based on the fact that one coin was there longer. A very good point