Working Notes on Bitcoin
Working Notes on Bitcoin is a collection of notes about bitcoin. This post is the start of the working notes.
When you start investigating Bitcoin, you will hear “orange-pilling.” This term can mean different things to different people. To me, it simply means to convince someone to take a hard look at Bitcoin and understand why it is important.
I have never really tried to “orange-pilled” anyone because I don’t have the time or energy to convince someone of anything. However, suppose someone is already investigating Bitcoin for themselves, and I am the tipping point for them by answering some questions. In that case, that’s worth the expenditure of energy. Alternatively, if someone wants to learn about bitcoin and they’re just starting, I can also answer some questions. The only person I am interested in convincing, though, is myself.
While I’ve consumed a lot of Bitcoin information and essentially convinced myself, I’ve never put these thoughts in writing. The evidence of why Bitcoin is worth my time and effort floats around in my head in bits and pieces. Sometimes I can assemble them into a convincing argument, and other times, I draw a blank.
I believe that “writing is thinking.” To clarify why I think Bitcoin is a good thing, I need to write about it. There are things I can confidently write about because I’ve spent dozens of years becoming a subject matter expert, like my occasional writings at Basis 365 Accounting. Because I’m relatively new to Bitcoin, writing anything with a sense of “authority” makes me feel as if I’ve draped myself with imposter syndrome. To combat this feeling, I will call these writings my “Working Notes on Bitcoin.” They are not “articles” that may convey some sense of authority. Instead, these are working notes that are mutable as new information or insight comes into view, so it seems to be a perfect way to frame my nascent knowledge about Bitcoin.
If I am insecure about my authority on Bitcoin, why put these working notes out? Well, you don’t get very far by clarifying your thoughts by yourself. Clear thinking doesn’t happen in an echo chamber; most people benefit from feedback and discussion. Most people would benefit from someone holding a contrarian view posing a challenge to your argument. I must embrace the idea that I could be wrong about Bitcoin (I hope not). I probably won’t convince myself I’m wrong, but others might.
So this page is the start of my Working Notes on Bitcoin.
“To be radically open-minded, you need to be so open to the possibility that you could be wrong that you encourage others to tell you so.”