Hey guys, long time lurker, first time poster to r/CryptoCurrency.I've been giving Crypto a lot of thought, and had a good look at myself in the mirror when btc started nosediving from 11k. At that point in time I thought 11k was the bottom, and tried to catch a falling knife.Recently, I took a break from looking at the graphs daily, because I realized my mood would always be affected by the giant red bars on my phone. So I deleted my Binance app. Since then I've had time to reflect on Crypto, reflecting on what enthralled me when I first got in. I came to several conclusions. It has completely changed my outlook and re-adjusted my expectations on crypto-currencies in general.Since then, I have cleared away my desire for the green bars, and my misgivings that this is something that would make me the Laurens Bancroft of the 21st century. What came in to replace these thoughts are below, shared with you.1) Herd mentality hurts us more than it hurts them.I come in contact with 3 kinds of people in my life, and these can be categorized into 3 different groups: People who want to see Crypto succeed, people who don't, and people who don't care about Crypto.I was part of the initial group at first, and now I've come to realized that in order for Crypto to succeed, we cannot exclude the people who don't care, and the people who don't want Crypto to succeed. They are an integral part of how Crypto is going to make it in this world, and we cannot ignore them. We cannot be an elitist club of people who think ourselves as a Master-race that will eventually trump all.I came to this conclusion during Chinese new years, at a dinner table with relatives. The conversation slowly swung around what all of us had achieved during the year of 2017, and I had said that I was an avid follower and investor of Cryptocurrency. My relatives were shocked. Some of them tried to dissuade me from investing, others listened with interest with what I had to say. It was then I realized a common denominator among them, it was that they don't understand.They don't understand how blockchain can change our world, they don't understand how block-lattice technology has the potential be the ultimate weapon against corruption, they don't understand how Cryptocurrency can bring humanity to places never ventured before. But they are interested.Over the period of the dinner I slowly but surely watered the plant that is now their newfound interest, answering questions to the best of my ability, but at the same time not critiquing their beliefs. I do not talk about the banks, I do not talk about politics, I talked about the wonders of Bitcoin, and the benefits that can be had with it.2) Adoption incentives. Unlike many of the inventions that have come to advance humanity, the benefits of Cryptocurrency cannot be felt by myself, or by you. Not in the short term anyway. The effects of Crypto will not be felt in a drastic way, but instead, gradually change events that were normally out of our control.We humans adopt things quickly if they are either one of 2 things, they improve our standard of living immediately(e.g getting a car or computer), or provide an immediate incentive(e.g. credit card frequent flyer points). Crypto is neither of them, and that is why it is a long uphill battle to convince someone to take on Crypto, when all it seems to do is add on more trouble for them.Being centralized has a thing going for it; few people can make decisions to create incentives for a small loss, in order to exploit an even bigger gain. In Crypto, no one is able to do this, and won't be able to without a centralised figure making decisions for us small guys.No one seems to have a viable solution to this, which brings me to my 3rd point.3) Moon boys. We all want to be on the ride to the next moon, the FOMO is strong, the memes sustain us, and every piece of news directly affects whether we see a red bar or a green bar. Now the feeling is subsiding, and all that is left is pump and dumps that out of our control.As a normie that doesn't have the power to control these events, I can only watch as the price gets manipulated. But this is what I signed up for. I believe that I'm not just holding an ordinary piece of money. I'm holding the future. I am holding the blood, the sweat and the tears of thousands that came before and thousands that will come after, because I believe in them, I believe in the idea, and most of all, I want that future, for me and for my descendants that will come after me. This isn't just about me, it's about advancing mankind.I believe in a future where Crypto will make the world a fair place for all, a world where corruption and power don't belong to someone we are forced to vote for, that my voice can be heard among the billions. Crypto doesn't align with my monetary objectives anymore, it aligns with me politically.This leads to my conclusion. I know that the recent drops have hurt us all, but it's time to look past it. I think it is time to look at what we are holding on to. Is it for the money? Is it the stubbornness? Are we truly here just to take fiat from others at a suitable time? If you manage to find your reason for holding on, I think your resolve be will strengthened.I look at my Crypto from time to time, and all I see is the hard work of the people who have created something amazing, and I feel honored to be part of this journey. And I will continue investing as much as I can, be it money or time, to further this project.
Submitted June 11, 2018 at 02:22PM
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