Leaders and Followers

I've always considered myself more of a follower than a leader. Although I suppose in order to be a follower, you kind of need a leader to begin with, which I've never had.

Sure, I've had bosses, and I have a new president every four to eight years, but I've never seen any of those people as someone I wanted to follow. Maybe for a brief moment when Obama gave his inauguration speech, I admit I felt like maybe something was finally going to change, but nothing really did.

Maybe I never looked for a leader because I didn't think I needed one in the first place. Why would I? Aren't we taught to think for ourselves and be our own leaders? It probably doesn't help that for a long time, the world has seemingly been filled with nothing but bad leaders. People in power who lack vision, don't know what they're doing, or are too afraid to make difficult choices.

For better or worse, I believe that the Bitcoin Cash community is blessed with many leaders, but I also believe that there is one that matters more than any other.

I know not everyone is fond of Amaury, but to me he has a vision, knows what he's doing, and isn't afraid to make difficult choices. But he isn't perfect. He isn't the second coming, and he himself will admit to having made mistakes.

Earlier I said the world seems to lack good leaders at the moment, but at the same time, I don't think it helps that so many people seem hell bent on doing nothing but tearing down those leaders without offering up any solutions of their own. I'm not a fan of Donald Trump, but when I watch his press conferences I can't help but feel like every reporter is there only to act like some social justice warrior, whose sole purpose is to embarrass or antagonize Trump. It's like the entire world has become a big protest movement.

Bitcoin Cash is no different. I believe it's a good thing that so many people are this passionate about peer to peer digital cash, but if all we do is bicker and tear each other down, we are only going to lose sight of the end goal. This begs the question, are we a protest movement, or are we building a new form of money?

That's the question posed by Amaury in his most recent podcast with the Coinspice crew.

If you haven't heard it, I recommend doing so, but you can also read a transcription of the interview here. I believe it is well worth your time.

As I've mentioned in a previous article, I wasn't always an Amaury fan. But over the last couple of years I've come to see he's a leader worth following. It goes without saying that this doesn't mean I'm just going to follow him blindly. I think as important as it is to support our leaders, we must also continue to challenge them and make sure they aren't leading us down the wrong path. But at this point in time, I believe the fastest way to achieve the goal of global peer to peer digital cash is through Amaury's leadership. I think the sooner the community sees what a huge asset he is, and the sooner we leverage that asset by properly funding ABC, the sooner we reach Canaan.

It's funny because the story of the Book of Numbers has a special connection for me, but it wasn't until recently that I discovered how famous it is. The story of the Israelites after Moses led them out of Egypt and their journey to The Promised Land.

A journey that should have only taken a couple months for God's chosen people to enter what was known as the land of milk and honey, instead ends up with them wandering in the desert for forty years before any of them reach the goal.

There's been a lot of discussion comparing the BCH community to the Israelites in the story, but as I thought about it some more, I wondered if it also applied to all of crypto. Then I realized the metaphor broke down because the early investors in BTC had already reached the promised land with the fortunes they've already made. I said this to Amaury and he pointed out those people are going to be the ones to die in the desert.

"They are the ones losing the most when Bitcoin loses its way," he said.

At first I didn't understand, but then he pointed out how those early investors can't cash out without crashing the market, and that's when I realized the real promised land is when Bitcoin Cash can be accepted everywhere as cash.

You can say I'm in a cult, but I find nothing wrong with believing in someone's ability, and their intentions, and wanting to support them in achieving a goal you both share.

Last but not least, let me leave you with this. I know that the Bitcoin Cash community is perhaps the most pessimistic community in all of crypto. The fact that we compare ourselves to people stuck in a desert for forty years is evidence enough. But I think there's still hope. The truth is BCH works today as peer to peer digital cash as Satoshi intended. I'm a stranger on the internet, who paid another stranger on the internet, peer to peer, to transcribe a podcast for me. He doesn't know who I am, but we were able to make a transaction because of this new tool that made it possible for us to do commerce without the aid of a third party, and I think that's amazing.

Thanks for reading.