Why Bitcoin perfectly encapsulates the collective mentality of our times

Gold rushes are not a new thing. From the Roman empire to ancient Egypt and all around America, people have been chasing quick fortunes since the dawn of time. It usually involves some sorts of metal, stocks, Monopoly money, or in this case, a virtual currency.

As with most gold rushes, they come with a shift in attitudes, migration, new settlements and new occupations being created. How are the two similar, you ask? Well, first of all they use the same terms like “mining”and “coin” and they have the same results: they present new monetary opportunities. If you think that Bitcoin is ridiculous you need to really think about gold. Gold is hard to come by yellow metal, responsible for many deaths but also for civilisation as we know it today.

The only thing that’s actually changed in our continuous quest for ever lasting happiness through rendering random things immense value is our impatience. Due to technological advances and a culture of instant gratification our attention span has been reduced and we have become a lot more impatient. We want things to be quick. From waiting for an Uber to an Amazon delivery we want our financial situation to change overnight. And we are shaping things to respond to our growing childish impatience. Bitcoin went from nothing to $15,000 in the space of a few years. Some people mined for it but you can literally go on Coinbase right this moment and buy it.

What do we want? Bitcoin. When do we want it? Now. Do we just want to own it? No. We want it to increase in value tenfold the day after we’ve bought it. Some might call this escapism from a very regimented life of too much work and too much running around. So we decide to run after something else: gold in virtual form, avocados, fried chicken, alternate realities, adventures.

I truly believe the thing we are all actually chasing is LIFE. We just want it faster, we want to consume it in an instant. We’re lifeoholics but our life has been taken over by too much living and we are stuck. Bitcoin and drugs have a lot in common. Drugs prices are a lot more stable though.