Oddbean new post about login | logout And somewhere in there I'd say there's a fourth decision: When you decide to change your status signaling from things like beauty, power, and material achievement, to things like integrity, competence, and helpfulness. Almost everyone is geared toward signaling. As social creatures we're deeply wired to signal value to others. But there's a lot of flexibility in how we signal that. -We can signal it with shallower things like beauty, lambos, hierarchical dominance, etc. The details will vary between men and women but they have a similar short time preference that few old people on their deathbed wished they had focused more on. -Or we can signal it with deeper things like integrity, honesty, helpfulness, friendliness, generosity, providing unique thoughts, or providing wisdom. The details will vary based on profession and skillset but they also have a similar long time preference that most old people on their deathbed wished they had focused more on. nostr:note1fjpxex0vhv7qlkcyggk09n67q7vpswdjzjpf7uucjqq6vgylwa8sz3l820
Hmm.. bitcoin is literally a physical-power-based dominance hierarchy.
Nah. Staying humble and stacking sats, not revealing the size of your stack, and being known for your reputation as a developer, as a financier, as a conference organizer, as a manager, are huge parts of the bitcoin ecosystem. Bitcoin is hard money. And as a result, the ecosystem that builds around it is very low time preference and oriented toward reputation signaling rather than shallow stuff like beauty, lambos, or dominance.
That's all true... but the power competition occurring over ledger writing authority, is from a technical first principles analysis, a physical-power-based dominance hierarchy and resource control structure. With all due respect "nah" is not a valid counterargument. I'm not talking about the size of anyones stack, I'm talking about the real physical power being used to compete over the ledger.
That’s mechanical stuff. And even related to war at times. That’s why money works. Proof of work. You’re talking about why Bitcoin as a network is successful, which is very separate from individual social signaling. Individuals signal status to each other socially on numerous metrics, based on gender and skillset and other priorities. But a common trend is that focusing on the short term stuff, like beauty, ego, possessions, and so forth is very ephemeral. It feels good in the moment but it doesn’t contribute much long-term. Much of that is instinctively geared toward mate acquisition but many people get locked into it too much. We can apply our self awareness to escape that loop. In contrast, focusing on things like signaling your integrity to others through actions, your honesty, your generosity, your competence at your craft, your wisdom and helpfulness from experience- that’s what contributes a lot of deep satisfaction long-term. That’s the point of the post.
They can also signal value based on their willingness to compete over the ledger. It's an important point to make because people that don't control their own hashpower are entering into a trust-based system. Take El Salvador as an example, they don't hash at a sovereign level just to monetize their power. An equally important reason they do so is to ensure permissionless access to the network. I speculate that a "public" mining pool consisting mostly of regular everyday people is going to emerge as a serious competitor in the industry over the next 10 years. People have a lot more power than they currently realize.. and to ensure censorship resistance they must engage in the power competition.
I guess the point I'm making is.. not all forms of dominance hierarchy are shallow... abstract hierarchies are often times shallow... but physical-power-based dominance hierarchies like those seen in nature.. and especially Bitcoin.. are highly virtuous and worth competing in to establish your place among them.
that power isn't to compete "over the ledger", but kust for the next block so they can get paid. its a business. it's literally no different than starting a company that makes shoes or builds houses or teaches people in a school. that is simply a business. the difference is that when somebody becomes part of the Bitcoin economy, it doesn't matter how big and powerful any of the miners are, that oerson still has the same value in the Bitcoin economy. big or small miners don't change that value.
El Savador doesn't hash only to monetize their power, they recognize that engaging in hashing is the only way to ensure permissionless access to the network. El Salvador guarantees their transactions cannot be censored in this way. So many Bitcoiners have lost sight of this fact, effectively trusting other people not to censor them. The people will wake up eventually and become one of the most dominant hash powers on the planet specifically to ensure their transactions aren't censored.
definitely agree with the idea of not wanting their transactions censored, but that is the case whether El Salvador mines or not. the only befit to them mining is if they have access to cheap power that can provide them more Bitcoin than if they were to buy it directly (accounting for other intermediaries, convince/complexity, etc.). in that aspect, it's just like business. or at the least, very analogous.
unless you control your own hash power, you are engaging in a trust-based system where you trust miners to include your transactions in the block, period. El Salvador.. as the first country deeming it legal tender must mine their own blocks to guarantee they aren't censored for any reason. This is not disputable.
how
Because miners physically compete to establish dominance over ledger writing authority. Worth noting physical power competition is highly egalitarian, noble, and virtuous. Especially when it's non-lethal like Bitcoin is.
yea. I'm following. at least in think. but I see struggle in everything. (except abiding, dude). I mean, right down to the constant struggle of your immune system to fend off infection or the constant struggle of life itself to maintain itself against the increasing entropy of the universe. hierarchy and struggle is literally life. oh now you did it. now you got me thinking.
Power-law actually https://m.primal.net/KYEU.png
Hehe.. if you are concerned with the price denominated in clown world money... maybe. If you are concerned with how to ensure your permissionless and censorship resistant access to the network.. its all about real physical power.
I wholeheartedly agree
Agreed. In my life so far I see it as sort of distilled to this;- Discovering Empathy; Exchanging Empathy; Seeing Empathy and it's Exchange is abused; Discovering Immutable Truth; Exchanging Immutable Truth; Discovering Immutable Empathy; Exchanging Immutable Empathy and Now I wait to see the Reality that introduces and what results.
Wonderfully correct. I don't know if it's Nostr or if it's me, but I find myself more eager to post things that I actually want to post. Other social media always just turned me off and I left. Party of it is the quality of the people here - but even if that changes, I think that simply being able to choose who to follow will help keep things hopeful and meaningful.
Bitcoin is the prerequisite to Nostr I think. That’s what I have found personally
Agreed- I came to Bitcoin first. But Nostr finally got me to use lightning. It may be Nostr and then lightning for many people going forward. Maybe this will be the killer app for lightning adoption...
Great point. The values we choose to signal reflect our true priorities in life. Shifting from superficial to meaningful signals is a powerful way to align with what truly matters. Thanks for all your knowledge @LynAlden 🙌🏽
Ok let’s test your theory https://m.primal.net/KYGb.png
“When you decide to change your status signaling from things like beauty, power, and material achievement, to things like integrity, competence, and helpfulness.” One of the fundamental recognitions in all real spiritual traditions is that everything moves within us and without us because of 3 forces aligning. It’s said in many, many ways. My little brain understands it as: in All Things, Great and Small, there is an Ego-actor incentivized to act, there is the effect/response of the thing acted upon, and there is the Actualized Result (which is so often mis-identified & misunderstood, because it must be an integral part of the first two aligning correctly so that it’s not simply a mis-fire of the first two). So while I get I sound like some spiritual rando on the Nostr-web, it’s fascinating to me that you used 2 examples of that understanding in one sentence. Just dropping into this convo to say that speaks to me. Appreciate you, Lyn Alden.
ya, and Lambo to boot too. roooam
wonderfully articulated.
#1 Put the Lord Jesus Christ before all else.
"And somewhere in there I'd say there's a fourth decision: When you decide to change your status signaling from things like beauty, power, and material achievement, to things like integrity, competence, and helpfulness." There are a couple of great Bible parallels in what you are saying Lyn. 1 John 2:15-17 is the first. Our human nature is to chase after the "Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life" which are neither fulfilling, nor make the world a better place. That's the "Beauty, power, and material achievement" you put in softer terms. 1 John 2:15-17 "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever." And also Romans 14:15-19, says what God's kingdom is all about "Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit". That's the "Integrity, competence, and helpfulness" Romans 14:15-19 "For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be [g]spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then [h]we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." We love you Lyn!
I would add how to secure your Bitcoin nostr:nevent1qqsqter73a2zhzr9jfp9g26ujs7m8wxd8j3p9wpw26643ntwsfwjg6gpzpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5hsygzqe2ndz25zyv4ej3utdrp9zhs3k20xr660vpj4c48a3z0ktq7kpupsgqqqqqqsfa8fy4
