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@ Momo Tahmasbi
2025-03-17 13:51:07"And when the rain came down on the cabin floor,\ The squatter only fiddled all the more.\ 'Why don't you mend your roof?' said the traveler bold.\ 'How can I mend my cabin when the rain is wet and cold?'"
This is one version of the lyrics from the folk song The Arkansas Traveler.
I first learned about this song and these lyrics while listening to NVK's Bitcoin.Review podcast, where his guest, futurepaul, shared this timeless piece of folk wisdom.
It may seem like a lighthearted tune, but this part hits me as deeply profound:
Why wait until things get worse to take action?
The economy is crumbling. Governments are printing your money into oblivion. Why wait for the situation to deteriorate further before investing time in learning about Bitcoin?
👉 Before your exchange goes bankrupt, (Not hypothetical—Mt. Gox and FTX already happened), learn how to withdraw your Bitcoin and take custody of it yourself.
👉 Before your government cracks down on easy-access exchanges, learn how to buy Bitcoin peer-to-peer through platforms like Peach Wallet, RoboSats, lnp2pBot (on Telegram), or Bisq.
👉 Before your bank freezes your account, learn how to be your own bank.
👉 Before you need to buy a pound of steak with Bitcoin, because your fiat is worthless or your account is banned for saying the "wrong" thing—start building Bitcoin circular economies.
👉 Before privacy becomes a luxury, learn how to run your own node, and experiment with using it behind Tor.
👉 Before the surveillance state starts tracking every sat you spend, learn how to coinjoin your Bitcoin and preserve your financial privacy.
👉 Before transaction fees rise again And small payments become impractical, learn how to open a Lightning channel and trade via the Lightning Network.
👉 Before legacy social media deplatforms you and drives you even madder with its algorithm-driven doom-scrolling, learn how to use Nostr.
👉 Before you fail to verify your account on TikTok or X, learn how to earn zaps on Nostr and embrace censorship-resistant social tipping.
👉 Before you are in dire need of offline, private transactions, learn how to use e-cash and explore tools for private, peer-to-peer payments.
Learn how to do things before you have to do them, because once the rain starts pouring, it's already too late to fix the roof.