I do not think "crypto" is the messiah.

I do not think blockchain is inherently "good" or "bad," of course.

I do think the wave is here, and one can surf it, get buried by it, or watch from the shore for the time being.

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• SURF IT:

This is what I am doing. I was paddling out on my board and there was nothing doing. I wanted to see some change. Then, suddenly, I heard about this wave that had already been building momentum for years prior called "Bitcoin." I heard Roger Ver talk about the fact that Bitcoin is one currency that can't be "quantitatively eased" (the euphemism the state uses for printing paper money ad infinitum, on a whim) to fund wars. I had to get some. I struggled for the better part of an evening to secure some Second Life tokens on Virwox, and then exchange those for dollars, and then those for BTC. Some weirdly long and winding process like that.

Later, Steemit came along. Now I'm hooked. The crypto wave is building massive momentum. It's become much less of a matter of if, than it is a matter of when, now, regarding the full mainstream manifestation of this monster wave. Those of us surfing--even just as amateurs--definitely get this sense when we take a look at the numbers, the news, and the new developments happening rapid-fire, every day, in the cryptosphere. Each morning as I go through my ritual of checking coincap.io, to see how the prices are doing, this is driven home all the more.

Those of us surfing are being lifted up, and the panorama is beginning to reveal itself breathtakingly, as we, slowly but surely--and with a massive volume of churning, financial market force accruing beneath us--ascend.

I'm riding the wave because I want financial freedom, which equates to freedom to do what I want. Freedom to be me, and do my thing. I've been able to provide for my family, make transactions free of extortion, and help people I want to more directly than ever by using this new witchcraft, and I love it. When individuals are free to be themselves, and to use their time, money, and resources as they please, the world becomes a much freer place, and a hell of a lot more colorful.

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• GET BURIED BY IT:

Some want to surf it, but perhaps are a bit...overzealous. They've invested their life savings into a shitcoin. They are eager to adopt the soon to be released state and government created blockchain-based currencies in the name of convenience and ease. They are all too ready to say goodbye to cash, gold, and the like. In other words, they are setting themselves up for a wipeout.

With the complete elimination of cash and the introduction of government-backed "cryptocurrencies," comes the "opportunity" to be surveilled, taxed and fined into oblivion, and to basically have one's whole financial existence frozen and locked at the whim of any bureaucrat or politician who takes a dislike to either you or the amount of financial power you hold. Yuck.

With the mind-boggling proliferation of coins serving no unique purpose, outright scams, and just "shitcoins" in general, the risk for wipeout is high with the gullible and hype junkies.

When the time comes for the wave to crest, they're gonna be far too high up into the foamy froth of bad economics, and go tumbling down. God forbid, but the "nuclear winter" of junk coins seems inevitable. As does the hijacking of established coins and creation of new "surveillance tokens" by the state.

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• WATCH FROM THE SHORE:

Of all the positions one can take, this is probably the worst one, in my book. Why? Because if one takes no position on the inevitable crypto wave that is coming in (and indeed, is already here), one is going to be forced into taking a position anyway, and not reap any of the benefits of having gotten in on the wave early. A wave that is already rolling strong, swift, and momentous, and will be, more and more and more so, for the foreseeable future.

If nation states around the world begin to take steps to eliminate cash (and they already have, just look at India, for example) the undecided on the beach will be left with no choice but to jump into the shark-infested government waters of state "cryptos," or have no buying power in the market (Shit. This is starting to sound like some mark of the beast type stuff). They will be forced to adopt "crypto" created and sponsored by nation states, Wall Street, and the elite banking cartels of the earth. Of course, they could always grab their boards, paddle out, and attempt to invest in real cryptocurrencies at this point, but it will be much harder for them to gain financial freedom, or even any semblance of financial momentum, at this point, than it was for those weirdos who paddled out way "back in the day" when the ocean was flat as a tabletop.

The surfers on the wave now are in a pretty good spot. So are mountain men who only barter and trade in silver and gold. Either way seems good to me. All I know is, once crypto becomes a tool of the state for war, extortion, violence, and destruction, said "crypto" is no longer anything more than a shitcoin. And a super shitcoin at that, to be avoided like an STD.

In so far as a crypto coin is based on sound economics (unlike fiat currencies), and is used non-violently in a free market, said crypto is the whole reason for crypto in the first place, in my opinion. Of course it could be argued that even state-backed cryptos could be used to garner profits which could then be used to subvert, but...that is a topic for another post.

I leave you with this excellent song and video by Miike Snow. Watch it!

~KafkA

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Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as Facebook and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)