My Guiding Principles in Bitcoin Cash
In my 68 years, being able to determine who is nasty and who is nice, has helped me through the roughest of times, and certainly enhanced the good times.
When I got involved with Bitcoin a little over 7 years ago, it was not always obvious to me who was nasty or nice. People who hid behind fictitious names were most often the nasty ones, however that was not always the determining factor, as some people who used their real names could certainly stand on their soapbox condemning those of perceived lesser intellect.
Still, for the most part, I had no trouble figuring out who to stay away from. But as time went on, some folks whom I considered friends began to develop nasty streaks, or maybe it just became more obvious their flaws were seriously impacting their relationships with me and others. Many of my early Bitcoin contacts, through my involvement with the Bitcoin Foundation, Counterparty, and the Let's Talk Bitcoin network turned out to be a little more nasty than I would have thought possible, but then I was naive. I had figured that people who knew what bitcoin was about all shared similar values. I could not have been more wrong.
In those heady days of 2013-14, there was a sense that we were all learning about the Joy of Bitcoin and exploring the best ways forward. A few oddballs wanted to post unrelated fodder to set up an argument, but for the most part they were ignored and moderated in the same way you might remove someone from your home who decided to break objects or strike out at family members. Some of my favourite people went on to become unreasonably argumentative and even fanatical in their opinions, to the detriment of any further civilized discussion. If you went looking for trouble on social media it was guaranteed they would be there to drag you into their conflicts. Not everyone was a "Reasonable Person".
The role I took on in those early days, was as a helper, mostly to assist people to understand each other and express their concepts in positive ways, by bridging some of the communication gaps. As I was explaining to a non-cryptocurrency friend the other day, my success rate in the past four years has been about 40% due to the volatile nature and misogynist attitude of people in the space. Before I got involved with software programmers in Bitcoin, a communications success rate below 80% was totally unacceptable for me and I certainly could not have worked with a group where clear communication was not of the highest priority. Times and standards change, but striving for 100% effective communcations is always the goal.
The internet world has changed a lot in the last 30 years, slowly and sometimes painfully ignoring the importance of interpersonal relationships. However, video conferencing came along at the right time with the potential to open positive communication again. We push forward to maximize the effectiveness of the tools at our disposal. When people become nasty they seldom try to communicate. They remind me of the stupid, poorly raised kid throwing rocks from the overpass at cars below. They lash out as Anonymous Assholes under the guise of "I was just trolling" or "I need my privacy" as if their type of nasty behaviour has value. It never does, and mostly I feel sorry for the shallow lives of those whose only purpose is to bully others from behind a mask. But as someone named Gump might have said, "Nasty is as Nasty does", and even those using their real name can be toxic.
On the other hand, when I have noticed otherwise reasonable people spewing nonsense and attacking others, it has sometimes made sense to gather them into a Zoom call and see if a common ground can be determined. I have had the privilege of working with a lot of people who have something to offer and are interested in the success of Bitcoin, as a p2p cash. But an unfortunate pattern has developed where many people have the attitude of, "I am not talking to him, because it just wont make it any better and besides, he is wrong and I am right."
So I am reviewing my tool box and asking myself, "Where do I want to put my energy now, where I may be able to add value?" The video conferencing tools in Zoom are excellent and people who only want to fight can be easily identified and ignored.
You see enough of them in the everyday battle for control of the Bitcoin Cash Protocol. It is actually very easy to ignore them, if you don't hang out in their Social Media fortresses.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the time for building on Bitcoin Cash and SLP tokens is now. Find the people who are building interesting and forward thinking projects and offer to help them in any way you can. Stay positive, and ignore the assholes.
Read.cash is a great example of where you can put time and energy for a positive outcome. Many thanks to the team here who are putting Bitcoin Cash on the map.
For the coming week, let me leave you with this...
"Avoid loud and aggressive persons, for they are vexatious to the spirit. Never compare yourself with others. You may become vain or bitter, for there will be always greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements, as well as your plans."
From Desiderata - written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, writer and lawyer (1872-1945)
Peace,
David R. Allen
...and you will also help the author collect more tips.
What happened to the 200 BCH the community donated to your "General Development Fund" at the time called FVNI during Fundraise 2019 ? Do you think it's "nice" not to reply to any of my messages? I donated a big part of that, very dissapointed in you David R. Allen