A Magna Carta for Bitcoin
The Constitution is a living document. The Bible is a living document. The manifesto for the Pepsi logo is a living document and the Bitcoin white paper is breath, a breath of fresh air. While the white paper is a representation of something we cannot negate, pure mathematical truth, I believe we are at fault if we are to assume “truth” is ubiquitously understood by the masses, or, that the white paper is a system of values and virtues people can empathize with.
The majority population does not look to the white paper as a guideline for anything more than rational knowledge due to the very nature of math as an emotionless concept for anyone who is not a mathematician. Distilling the logic in the Bitcoin white paper into an emotional concept is necessary to resonate with a core of human truth removed from the actions of people who have used Bitcoin for less than reputable practices. In doing so, we can progress, unified, to move hearts toward acceptance based on our collective understanding of good and evil.
We need a declaration.
Every great movement has to have a mission statement. We all need ideals to align with. These principles allow us to develop a sense of unity with our tribes so we can work together to make progress under a common cause.
We, the community of people who support, understand and believe in Bitcoin, have to teach people why this invention is an essential for the human race at a level which is intrinsically resonant.
How do we teach?
One of the largest differences between high value institutions offering education and the run of the mill solution is, other than the network, their ability to provide a framework of values for people to think about success while instructing how and why to think instead of what. Aligning universal maxims within the community amidst growing tension is absolutely fundamental if we want the “whats” being built on top of this invention to have substantial impact.
I have a question for the Bitcoin community.
Why?
Why has Bitcoin been philosophized as the end to the deep institutional problems created by established infrastructures in an age of creativity and decentralization if the Bitcoin community at large is going to draw their lines divided instead of united to progress a common cause?
If I may make a suggestion, why not scrap the scrabbles and work together to remind everyone why, among many reasons, this invention has risen to prominence at this time when the idea of apolitical currency has been around for over 280 years?
Why is Bitcoin challenging to understand?
We need a unified brand.
I am aware that the idea of “Bitcoin as a Brand” has received a great deal of critical feedback as many people do not see the invention as a consumer good. If you take this stance, I can empathize on a certain level, however, I have to fundamentally negate your understanding of branding. Advertising and marketing are mechanisms for people to communicate value, values and character to society at large.
You are a brand. That cup on your table is a brand. Traditional banks are a brand and Bitcoin is a brand. While the technology of Bitcoin is not in and of itself a company, we need to take great care to ensure the underlying philosophy of the invention is preserved by our actions throughout the evolution of the idea.
Virtues of Bitcoin
Equality
Bitcoin has often labeled by members of the internal community as the solution to end mechanisms of power which have abused their stronghold for far too long.
The solution to fear based problems is not more fear.
Instead of inspiring alarm in established financial institutions and their supporters, we should label the invention, Bitcoin, for what it truly is: the ability to curate a modern financial equality for a global economy of abundance.
Equality means distributed, decentralized power.
This does not mean we should obviate and destroy the past to make a better future. Change takes time and to make the future we want to see into a reality peacefully, we should all work together, transparently.
If global currencies who operate within the borders of a nation state implement the blockchain technology into their national mechanisms of value transfer, they would be able to help prevent the major losses from problems like rampant corruption, traffic from submerged markets and tax evasion; the global economy suffered $3.1 trillion of loss due to tax evasion in 2011 alone. Shared goals using technology as a bridge between the past and the future can create a more equal marketplace for nation states and citizens.
Trust
Why should Bitcoin rise to prominence at this moment in time when the idea of digital money has been working toward perfection for approximately 40 years?
After the financial crisis of 2007–2008, I believe we, as a human race, collectively understood we would need a revolutionary solution to implement changes — changes the systems in charge were not capable of providing, to create a new form of the idea of trust.
Financial institutions of the future will be heavily weighted on the amount of trust they are able to instill in consumers when dealing with their money.
We may not be able to place trust in institutions with systemic inefficiencies and darwinian principles of survival built into their culture. We may not be able to place trust in institutions who have to take advantage of their complexity by charging the unaware, uninformed and disempowered. However, one thing remains certain: I believe we can trust people, the internet, and math. No matter how hard anyone tries, 1+1 will never equal 247.
Redefining Convention
Bitcoin evolves dated maxims of past ideologies to create a new foundation for the modern open source world to build upon. Most people do not necessarily need to, or care to, understand the intricate details of how Bitcoin works, just as the majority of people will never truly understand the intricate algorithm involved each time they perform a google search.
People should want know how this invention changes their lives and the lives of humans around the globe for the better of humanity. People will be interested in knowing how this invention benefits their lives personally and helps them to participate in a culture which gives them meaning and a community to align their identity with.
Human
While the idea may be digital, the purpose of Bitcoin is fundamentally human. Bitcoin is Digital Money anyone can use. Bitcoin, as a human brand, is building a framework for a modern economy of universal financial inclusion, creating new reliance mechanisms for human beings who have been disempowered by the actions of their government while simultaneously developing a method for value to be exchanged, human-to-human.
The underlying technology of Bitcoin may be one of the ultimate technological advancements of this age, but the perception of the brand is, should be, and should feel like a human being, like us.
Bill Gates recently suggested Bitcoin may not appeal to a mass market due to shared associations with terrorism and money laundering, however, Bitcoin, in pure essence, is mathematical truth, truth which needs to align with a series of universal maxims around which we can all band together to increase support for financial inclusion.
To move forward and develop this brand, we need to work together as a human race united by shared ideals to define tangible goals, strategies and tactics to progress a shared vision of evolving Bitcoin into a true evolution for the financial systems of this world.
Please let me know in the comments section if any virtue and value which is critical to evolution of Bitcoin as an emotionally resonant, human brand is not included in this article.
