The FUD within the Ranks

I don't watch the news, my wife does. Tonight, she woke me up from a lovely nap to say that the Finnish Finance Supervisor warned against investing into Bitcoin because of the inevitable crash and that all of the alts are so volatile, they should be avoided. She is concerned the long nights and hard work I have done and the sacrifices we have made as a couple because of it, are under threat. Should she be concerned?

Yes. She should be concerned. The name Finanssivalvonta (The Finance Supervisory) should concern her greatly. Valvonta in Finnish also means control and surveillance. She should be very afraid when listening to them. But, you all know that already.

As much as I have spoken to her about cryptocurrencies and the way they work, the banks and the way they work and the roll governments play in the manipulation of us, she is still programmed to think that when a government body speaks, it is truth. In this case though, it is a half truth.

Yes, the markets are volatile, yes Bitcoin will likely crash at some point as will other coins and yes, we could lose everything we have put into it so far. They are not wrong there but, what they choose not to mention is that this is the case with everything in the world, their is no security, there is no certainty and in 2008, many people who played it safe lost everything they had spent a lifetime working for based on the advice of the same board, as well as others. Who never seems to lose of course, are the banks themselves.

The attitude my wife has trouble developing is the willingness to embrace the inherent uncertainty of the world to risk what one currently has for a near unlimited upside. She and I have never had this kind of opportunity before and in a lifetime, the chances to be at the forefront of a mass technological movement with zero (or close to) upfront investment are slim to none.

And that is where we are now, at the forefront, with zero initial cost and a chance to continually build from hard work and skillset alone. We haven't needed to take a loan to start the business, we have no shopfront, no product, but what we do offer is information, experience and entertainment value that hopefully helps others break away from the debt cycles they have been born into and build some kind of personal financial autonomy.

It is easy to let FOMO take hold but there is such a long way to go in the cryptosphere, just about any gains made now and spread wide enough will see significant returns. This is why I try to encourage, friends, family and strangers to do the study and start working towards that future, though few are willing.

Plus, here at Steemit we are creating a blockchain that will be able to attach all of the everyday transactions to it in an efficient and highly effective manner. The potential for a coin to rise heavily and dominate the market place is extremely good with Steem.

We have very low savings at the moment but we always put a little into an account for our daughter each month. My wife is finishing her Master's degree so that in a year or so and with her strong experience and references, she will likely land a decent position. I run a small business that covers our day to day expenses (mostly). There is no frills, no luxury, little extra at the moment, much like many other people in our circles and the world.

But, we have an asymmetrical return possibility on our Steemit investments, a Steem (or SBD recently) earned is not bound by a face value. It has increasing utility and mobility and as I see it, a gross undervaluation at present. This investment opportunity is a dream come true and our chance at no longer having to rely on chasing clients to pay the mortgage or stress over the bills that inevitably arrive through the mailslot, is good.

Maybe it crashes into a heap but the risk in my opinion is much lower than even the conservative estimates of the potential. I try to assure my wife that the risks are worth the possibilities and I try to convince others to take a long-term view with their own investments here also. The worst case scenario is that the thousands of hours, the millions of words and all of the effort is lost.

This is a limited view though because I love thinking, I love writing, I love connecting with people, learning, discovering, playing, laughing in chat, making friends and of course having the chance to earn whilst doing it. Where exactly is the loss? These are all upsides I have that are there without a currency, without the possibility for a brighter financial future. Wll, my ego will be bruised an di will definitely hear 'I told you so.' from a lot of people.

I wonder what they will say if Steem hits 10, 50 or 100 though? If some of the other alts get their asses into gear and get practical? Many people saved 100 dollars in 2009 by not investing into Bitcoin. I saved 200 euros in 2011 by not investing in. Yes, lots of smart people saved a lot by avoiding uncertainty, lots of people read the Financial papers and laughed at the fools and their fake money. at every dip, every correction they are ready with their 'I told you so' but, must wait for the next. Maybe that is the one.

One day in Finland, there are going to be some very wealthy Finns who didn't listen to the advice and the government will be more than willing to hail them cutting edge champions of risk and put their hands out for their tax percentage share. The sad thing is that it could have been anyone willing to risk a little of themselves.

What is nice with having a wife who is still affected by the FUD of the news and has concerns about our future is it is a reminder for me to investigate, evaluate and renew my own vigor to continue on into the uncertainty and help others do the same. It also reminds me to explain the new things I have learned to her and helps. She and I are in this together, even though I am the one who writes. Without her understanding and trust in me, I wouldn't have the space to be here. We all have an opportunity on a mass scale that hasn't existed for the average person for a very long time, I don't want to squander mine.

The other meaning for the word Valvonta is 'LEASH'. I think it is time to use blockchains to break the tether that puts our potential on a short leash. This may be more positive FUD so don't believe me, investigate it for yourself.

Enter at your own Risk. Freedom.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]