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@ softglitter2d
2025-05-12 12:33:43This is my Bitcoin full node. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My node is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my node is useless. Without my node, I am useless. I must run my node true. I must verify my enemy who is trying to dilute me. I must reject his inflationary blocks. I will. Bitstein (2019)
I love debates. I'm one of those people who, just for fun, analyzes Abraham Lincoln’s speeches on slavery during his election campaigns, or revisits the Frost-Nixon debates—or pretty much any speech I can get my hands on. The essence of debates—and now that I've discovered Socratic seminars—even further enriches the community itself. Where we, as a Bitcoin community, stand superior in every sense of the word is that we don't just talk to stake out positions; a Bitcoiner takes a stand through their actions.
And that's exactly what we've seen over these past few weeks of debate about
OP_RETURN.Many people—instinctively, I’d say—are inviting Bitcoin maximalists to move over to ETH and create non-monetary use cases, even as those same people are the ones loudly promoting and encouraging everyone to get Bitcoinized. So, we find ourselves in a clear contradiction that remains largely misunderstood, especially when podcasters who have never reviewed a single pull request, don't know how the merge works, and don't even have a GitHub account, suddenly want to jump into a debate encouraging others to switch node classes.
As for me, that’s totally fine. The reason is simple: if you are a true Bitcoiner, it doesn't matter whether you understand programming (or not), use Knots, Core[^1], or any other client—as long as you run your own node. I believe this debate helped motivate people and warned them about the real danger of not running their own node.
[^1]: I encourage people to download Core.
Why is it important to run your own node?
When people are using Bitcoin in ways you disagree with, or creating use cases you don't support, the best way to express your disapproval is through your node. Because at the end of the day, it’s the node that allows us to verify transactions—it’s the step before final broadcast to the blockchain. Every node that gets deployed is another victory for the community against reliance on trust; every downloaded node strengthens user privacy.
The fastest way to destroy Bitcoin is by discouraging the use of personal nodes, because centralized services thrive when fewer people use this critical tool.
Use your node.
originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/978094