Why Bitcoin Matters

Humanity has never had something with a fixed, known amount. A currency that cannot be increased was previously impossible. If you hold dollars, the federal reserve decides when to increase the monetary supply and make your dollars' worth less. Gold will always be mined out of the earth as long as it is worth anything at all. Any other cryptocurrency is at the whims of its creator who is seeking a profit. Bitcoin’s creator is long gone, and even if he was back, it would be impossible to change Bitcoin’s supply of 21 million coins.

What would happen if humanity discovered something that was completely finite, and could be instantly transported to anywhere in the world? I would think that the world would be scrambling to collect as much of it as they can. Its “intrinsic value” would be these one-of-a-kind abilities. In Bitcoin’s 14 years of existence, it appreciated 5,200%. 14 years seems like a lot to us, but seen over generations, it is hardly any time at all. If you're stuck looking at the 5 year or less charts on the bitcoin price, you’re really missing out.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a book about bitcoin. If you ignore it, you're doing yourself and your family a disservice. If you want to dismiss it as useless, as least do the research. (PSA: Reading 3 Wall Street Journal articles is not research.) I started with The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous, and I recommend you start there too. If you want to start on medium, check out Vijay Boyapati.