Is Bitcoin Teaching Us to Dream Again?
People forget, but in the 60s when NASA was doing its best to put a man on the moon, we had ulterior motives. The cold war was raging and there’s a reason all the rockets looked like missiles. Thankfully, the warmongers did not win the day and instead of orbital nuclear platforms we ended up with a plethora of technologies that make the world smaller and borders less meaningful. We also got (in this author’s opinion) the most important picture ever taken.
The image, entitled “Earthrise” was humanity’s first good look at our planet. We’d left Earth with a destination in mind for the first time, and having arrived there, looked back in wonder at the tiny fragile place we called home. The results are astonishing.
It sparked a series of movements – scientific, environmental, economic and much more – based around the newfound concept of Earth as our most important designation of “home.” Human feet have stood upon the surface of the moon, but as of yet Earth is the only planet where humans actually live. You see that beautiful blue marble with wisps of white dancing across its surface? That’s home. No matter who you are, where you’re from, what you do or how you were raised; no matter your politics, the color of your skin, the language you speak or the god(s) you do or don’t believe in, that’s home.
Importantly, there are no lines here. There are no arbitrary boundaries drawn on this version of the globe. That little blue marble is everything we have and we ants scurrying about on its surface would perhaps be better served cooperating than fighting. The image of the Earth as seen from the Moon also reminds us that the little white dot in our sky is its own world and we are but a little blue dot in its sky. That sense of scale simultaneously shrinks and enlarges us. Our bodies shrink, tiny motes of dust in the cosmic wind – but our spirits soar at the possibilities of new worlds and frontiers. We are wanderers and the vastness of space calls to us as the vastness of the sea spoke to our ancestors.
It also puts into proper scope the ideas of war, hatred and discrimination.
Sagan said it best (in reference to another amazing photograph):
Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.
NASA’s actions in the 60s inspired an entire generation to think beyond borders for perhaps the first time, and the results are magnificent. In the decades since, we humans have begun to treat our home – and each other – with a bit more respect. We’ve got a very long way to go, but the technologies developed and the shrinking-world mindset NASA helped to create are perhaps some of humanity’s finest points yet.
But with the decline of the shuttle program, NASA can’t even get into orbit without help. The shining star that reminds us of the smallness of our vast world is flickering, fading. We need a new guiding light. We’re forgetting how to dream.
Enter Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is for dreamers. Plain and simple. It shares NASA’s patented blend of serious business and idealistic wonder. Where Earthrise reminds us how small and vulnerable we are, Bitcoin reminds us how strong we can actually be – and that our strength comes from our connectedness.
Now I’m not suggesting that Bitcoin is the new NASA. Future six-year-olds will probably not tell you they want to be a Bitcoiner when they grow up, any more than they currently say they want to be programmers or mathematicians. Astronaut still trumps banker, no matter how cool you make the money. Every branch of science does need its “rock stars” to attract future scientists to the fold, and Bitcoin has certainly made a few of those – but I’m also talking about the bigger, more pragmatic, picture. I’m talking about trade.
Trade seems really boring, but it’s the glue that holds the world together. At the risk of plagiarizing Penn Jillette, the secret to peace isn’t love, it’s financial interdependence.
England and France – a historical grudge match if there ever was one – have stopped trying to kill each other largely because of the benefits of trade. It’s like they suddenly figured out that they were a textbook example of the prisoner’s dilemma and decided to make a smarter choice. Through trade they’ve maximized the happiness of their people, not because England and France suddenly love one another, but because cooperation means better food, cheaper appliances, blue jeans and iPods. When we stop spending our time and money inventing more efficient ways of killing one another, the world becomes a better place for everyone.
Bitcoin is a sort of digital Esperanto. It’s nobody’s home currency, it belongs to no country. There are no lines on our globe. Bitcoin does not respect the arbitrary boundaries of Sagan’s “generals and emperors” and each transaction made across such a boundary weakens it.
There are a lot of ways to make the world smaller. There are a lot of ways to erase borders. The best methods work from the ground up, instilling a sense of connectedness and community in the people of the world. Earthrise was an amazing start. Let’s keep that work going in any way we can.
Note from the author: It’s important to note that I’m NOT talking about Bitcoin as a NASA replacement in any way, even inspirationally. NASA continues to do amazing work and is, in my opinion, one of the most important institutions currently in existence. Their mission is vital, we use technologies developed by NASA every day and it’s likely that our future will also be heavily influenced by the work they do today.
NASA has a severe funding problem. Our government gives NASA less than half of one percent of the total budget. This year that’s about $16B, which seems like a lot, but that’s just over 1% of what we’re willing to spend to develop a single model of fighter jet. It’s not just nicer to stop killing each other, it’s also cheaper.
Regardless of what you think of my musings on the subject of Bitcoin and whether you live in the U.S. or not NASA needs our help. Penny4NASA is a charity with the goal of increasing NASA’s budget – and coincidentally, they accept donations via Bitcoin. If, like me, you think NASA is worth saving, I would encourage you to give. Money is good, time is better. Too busy/lazy/cool to click a link? Scan the QR code just under this paragraph – I’ll forward all donations received on this post their way.
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