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@ Ralph Hogendahl
2025-03-28 23:46:32
# Bitcoin: This Isn’t Just Theory Anymore
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why Bitcoin still feels so misunderstood. Not just by the media or the IMF — that part’s predictable. But even inside our own circles, something's missing.
We say it’s money. We say it’s freedom. We say it’s code. And it is. But when you really zoom out, past the price and the politics, it’s something more radical than we usually admit.
Bitcoin is a shift in how power moves. And what we do with that power now actually matters.
## The noise outside
Let’s start with the obvious: the media still doesn’t get it. Every other headline is either a death knell or a celebration depending on the price that day. No context. No nuance. No understanding of what we’re building.
You’ve seen the headlines:
- “Bitcoin is crashing again.”
- “Crypto bros are killing the planet.”
- “The IMF warns: Bitcoin adoption is dangerous.”
Yeah? Dangerous to what?
The system they control. The levers they pull. The old game where the house always wins.
That’s why they’re afraid. Not because Bitcoin is volatile, but because it doesn’t ask permission.
## This isn’t about panic — it’s about patterns
I’m not saying there’s a conspiracy. But there is inertia. Institutions protect themselves. Systems reinforce themselves. They were never going to roll out the red carpet for an open, borderless network that replaces their function.
So the IMF calls it a threat. Central banks scramble to launch CBDCs. And journalists keep writing the same shallow takes while ignoring the real story.
Meanwhile, we’re still here. Still building. Still holding. Still running nodes.
Bitcoin isn’t perfect. But it’s honest. It doesn’t bend to popularity or political pressure. It enforces rules with math, not people. And that’s exactly why it works.
## Even we miss it sometimes
Here’s the part that really hit me recently: even within Bitcoin, we often undersell what this is.
We talk about savings. Inflation. Fiat debasement. All real, all important.
But what about the broader layer? What about governance? Energy? Communication? Defense?
Jason Lowery’s book *Softwar* lit that fuse for me again. Not because it’s flawless — it’s not. But because he reframed the game.
Bitcoin isn’t a new weapon. It’s the **end** of weapons-as-power.
Proof-of-work, in Lowery’s view, is a form of peaceful negotiation. A deterrent against coercion. A way to shift from kinetic violence to computational resolution.
Most people — even many Bitcoiners — haven’t fully absorbed that.
It’s not about militarizing the network. It’s about **demilitarizing the world** through energy expenditure that replaces human conflict.
Let’s be clear: this doesn’t mean Bitcoin *will* be used this way. It means it *can*. And that opens up a few possible futures:
- **Scenario A:** Smaller nations adopt Bitcoin infrastructure as a shield — a deterrent and neutral layer to build sovereignty
- **Scenario B:** Superpowers attack mining and self-custody, escalating regulatory capture and fragmenting the open protocol into corporate silos
- **Scenario C:** Bitcoin becomes the boring backend of legacy finance, its edge neutered by ETFs and custody-as-a-service
Which one wins depends on what we build — and who steps up.
## Then I found Maya
I came across Maya Parbhoe’s campaign by accident. One of those late-night rabbit holes where Bitcoin Twitter turns into a global map.
She’s running for president of Suriname. She’s a Bitcoiner. And she’s not just tweeting about it — she’s building an entire political platform around it.
No central bank. Bitcoin as legal tender. Full fiscal transparency. Open-source government.
Yeah. You read that right. Not just open-source software — open-source statehood.
Her father was murdered after exposing corruption. That’s not a talking point. That’s real-life consequence. And instead of running away from systems, she’s choosing to redesign one.
That’s maximalism. Not in ideology. In action.
## The El Salvador experiment — and evolution
When El Salvador made Bitcoin legal tender in 2021, it lit up our feeds. It was bold. Unprecedented. A true first.
But not without flaws.
The rollout was fast. Chivo wallet was centralized. Adoption stalled in rural areas. Transparency was thin. And despite the brave move, the state’s underlying structure remained top-down.
Bukele played offense, but the protocol was wrapped in traditional power.
Maya is doing it differently. Her approach is grassroots-forward. Open-source by design. Focused on education, transparency, and modular state-building — not just mandates.
She’s not using Bitcoin to *prop up* state power. She’s using it to *distribute* it.
## Maximalism is evolving
Look, I get it. The memes are fun. The laser eyes. The beefsteak meetups. The HODL culture.
But there’s something else growing here. Something a little quieter, a little deeper:
- People running nodes to protect civil liberties
- Communities using Lightning for real commerce
- Builders forging tools for self-sovereign identity
- Leaders like Maya testing what Bitcoin can look like as public infrastructure
This is happening. In real time. It’s messy and fragile and still small. But it’s happening.
Let’s also stay honest:
Maximalism has its risks. Dogma can blind us. Toxicity can push people away. And if we’re not careful, we’ll replace one centralization with another — just wearing different memes.
We need less purity, more principles. Less hype, more clarity. That’s the kind of maximalism Maya embodies.
## What now?
Maya doesn’t have a VC fund or an ad agency. She has a message, a mission, and the courage to put Bitcoin on the ballot.
If that resonates, help her. Not just by donating — though here’s the link:
**https://geyser.fund/project/maya2025/**
But by sharing. Writing. Talking. Translating. Connecting.
Bitcoin is still early. But it’s not abstract anymore.
This isn’t just theory.
It’s a protocol, sure.
But now, maybe it’s a presidency too.
https://i.nostr.build/0luYy8ojK7gkxsuL.png