Should I tell Bitcoin Cash the truth?

Hurray! I was so excited that the day had just begun, as I scrolled through my crypto wallet in anticipation. What I saw, made my heart race so fast that within a split second, my mind had traveled to ‘Space’ and came back to its original abode. Red! No, this can’t be! But alas, that was exactly what my Bitcoin Cash wallet was showing. I had a quick flashback, then I realized that I haven’t had Bitcoin Cash in a while.

Then the analysis began! Since red was a primary color, a little combination with another color would give me exactly what I wanted. Yeah, I needed my Bitcoin Cash wallet to show a green color; at least to set me on the right path. Heck! Are we really still talking about colors? That was the question my mind threw at me. Not really, I thought to myself. But in order to make things happen, sometimes, we need a push.

So without hesitating, I chatted a private crypto exchanger. The thought of going through the rigmarole of those online exchangers made me cringe. Hell no! I couldn’t try, even if I wanted to.

“Hey, what can I do for you?" That was the message from my private crypto exchanger.

Please, I would like a 50$ worth of ‘Bitcoin Cash’, I replied.

“I’m sorry, unfortunately, I don’t have bitcoin cash at the moment. But I have Bitcoins, and I’m willing to give you at a good rate."

Not again! I exclaimed to myself. How could anyone say they have Bitcoins, but don’t have Bitcoin Cash? That would be like saying: "I have 2 hands, but don’t know what to do with them”. Anyways, I was faced with two options:

1. Convince him to exchange his Bitcoins for Bitcoin Cash, and sell the Bitcoin Cash to me.

2. Accept to buy his Bitcoins, then exchange it for Bitcoin Cash.

I had to opt for the later. So I paid for his Bitcoins and went ahead to exchange it for Bitcoin Cash. I was over the moon that my Bitcoin Cash wallet was no longer in ‘Red’. I was still basking in this euphoria, and suddenly, a message popped into my telegram chat. I opened it and froze for a moment when I read the message which goes:

” Hey, when am I expecting my payment?"

Not again! It had completely skipped my memory that I had a pending debt for a poor service received. Anyways, that is by the way since I promised that regardless, I was going to pay for the wack services. So I sent him a response and asked him to drop his Bitcoin Cash wallet. Immediately, I got a reply, and he sounded like he was pissed, he said:

 “Sorry, but you need to pay me in Bitcoins. If I can recall correctly, that was what we agreed on."

"We didn’t agree that you will get paid in Bitcoins", I fired back. I wasn’t done yet as I continued with my rants. “You said you wanted your payment in cryptocurrency, and the last time I checked, there are well over 1000 cryptocurrencies to choose from."

“Are you a novice"? He asked sarcastically. Then he continued: "If I said I wanted my payment in crypto, invariably, I was referring to Bitcoins. Everyone prefers  Bitcoins, and I won’t be an exception. I would like my payment in Bitcoins, and I’m going to forward my wallet right away."

It was obvious I was dealing with another die-hard Bitcoin fan, and this was going to be a hard nut to crack, but I needed to apply diplomacy in the best way possible so we can settle amicably. Then I decided to apply a little bit of craftiness. I told him that it was okay if he wanted Bitcoins, but he should give me till next week to sell my Bitcoin Cash, then I can be able to pay him in Bitcoins.

“What"!He fired back in the chat. “I don’t have the patience to wait until next week. Just pay me in Bitcoin Cash and I’ll figure out what to do."

 I smiled to myself, but I wasn’t done yet. I wanted him to  actually accept Bitcoin Cash wholeheartedly, rather than accept it  because he had no choice. So the lectures began! I told him Bitcoin Cash was as good as any other crypto as a means of payment. I  was careful with my words as I didn’t want the conversation to be centered around Bitcoins alone because I felt that placing more emphasis on Bitcoins while ignoring other cryptocurrencies, would be like encouraging a form of competition between the two cryptocurrencies, which in my opinion is uncalled for.

I went further to point out the fact that Bitcoin Cash has fared well right from the start, and still have at least 8 years to prove to investors that it was worth giving it a try. I mean, who wouldn’t give Bitcoin Cash a pat on it’s back given that it is:

·         Almost free to use.

·         Fast and reliable.

·         Accepted more at physical locations than any other cryptocurrency.

 To cap it all, I gave him a piece of advice about investing in crypto, and I encouraged him to try investing in Bitcoin Cash because it has a promising future.

“Okay, should I send my Bitcoin Cash wallet now?" He asked.

“Of course"! I enthused. He sent the wallet and I transferred some Bitcoin Cash to him. For strange reasons, it took at least 2 hours for the transaction to be completed, and I felt relieved when it was over and done with.

But an issue kept me awake all night. Why did it take over 2 hours before my coins were delivered to the receiving wallet? My question may seem dumb because we all know why that is (mainly due to low transaction fees). But hitherto, I had never sent a higher transaction fee while sending Bitcoins to a wallet, and it got delivered almost instantly. As a matter of fact, I felt a little disappointed with the delay that I experienced while sending Bitcoin Cash(since it is supposed to be faster), and I am still at a loss as to what went wrong. So, my not too pleasant experience inspired me to pen down my two cents on what I think about Bitcoin Cash generally:

Bitcoin Cash is an awesome development, but the developers still have a long way to go in terms of mass adoption. There is need for a thorough public sensitization on why a regular crypto user should choose Bitcoin Cash over other major cryptocurrencies as a peer to peer means of payment. Given my awful experience while transacting with it the last time, there was no way in hell could I have ever considered using Bitcoin Cash to send payment again, if I didn’t have an in-depth knowledge of it, and its overwhelming advantages over Bitcoins.

 But then, I am still unfazed by that experience and will definitely continue to use Bitcoin Cash, but how do I convince others to tow the same line? How do I convince an experienced Bitcoin miner who has been in the business for years to suddenly switch to Bitcoin Cash? Why would a miner settle for less? (given that someone who mines Bitcoin Cash makes less profit than someone mining Bitcoins with the same equipment).

The answers to the above questions lies with the developers. I know the team behind Bitcoin Cash have been trying their best to get people to adopt it, and I believe there is still more to be achieved in the coming years. But one worrisome strategy which some Bitcoin Cash supporters have adopted is the constant jabs they throw at Bitcoin Core making it seem like there is a personal war going on between the developers of Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Cash. In my opinion, this persistent rivalry is making the whole ‘Bitcoin Core’ vs ‘Bitcoin Cash’ clash look more like a personal gain.

I feel so because, it is obvious that the Bitcoin fork which brought about the development of Bitcoin Cash, benefited the whales more than it did anyone. I mean, who wouldn’t welcome such changes with open arms when it made some people a million dollars richer? So, it is safe to say that, there will continue to be Bitcoin forks since it is likely that Bitcoin holders will become richer.

Whilst I may sound incoherent with my words, the point I’m trying to make is, the battle between Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Cash is unnecessary and unhealthy in the world of cryptocurrency. It is like a battle of two political parties trying to win the heart of the masses. What I expect the developers of Bitcoin Cash to do over the years is to embark on a sensitization, and explain in clear terms why there was a need for those ‘important changes’ made to Bitcoin which birthed Bitcoin Cash. And since the changes were meant to make Bitcoin core faster, cheaper, and more scalable, they should be able to tell potential investors why some bitcoin developers objected to these changes.

Even though the emergence of Bitcoin Cash seems to happen at the right time and holders are excited about the lower transaction fees compared to Bitcoin Core, this isn’t enough to compel crypto investors to take a bite at it. What they need is awareness, and more awareness, and I think Bitcoin Cash supporters may be going about this in the wrong way. Or how would you explain this statement by a Bitcoin Cash supporter:"The reasons I started supporting Bitcoins back then, are the exact same reasons I’m investing in Bitcoin Cash today”. So, my question is, if the reasons are the same, why should a potential investor choose Bitcoin Cash over Bitoins given that Bitcoins will obviously benefit him more? This question is what Bitcoin developers need to provide an answer to, and the sooner they do that, the better.