Sometimes it feels like being a small mouse dodging the feet of dinosaurs fighting each other for power, all the while a massive meteor is inbound. You know mammals will emerge triumphant eventually, you just have to avoid the collateral damage long enough. Be the mouse, not the dinosaur.

Sometimes I am convinced that sociopaths in suits with flag-themed lapel pins will be the end of us. Other times I see the work that is happening in this space and get some modicum of hope. Cypherpunks write code.

Step one of any journey back to our original self is to stop pretending, and to start seeing. Live in the world as it is, not as others wish us to see it.

The choice of color of the prison guards' uniforms matters little to prisoners. Imagine them arguing all the time about red vs. blue making such a huge difference! Crazy, I know.

One of the very defining characteristics of the entire Bitcoin ecosystem is its voluntary participation by everyone involved. Users choose to transact in bitcoin, what node software to run, and what valid transactions to propagate on the network. Developers choose what node software and features to contribute their time and energy working on, and offer up that node software to users. Miners choose to purchase electricity, which transactions to include, and when to enter into the proof of work lottery of producing a block. The crucial difference in all of these is that nobody is made to, by force or threat of force, to act in any capacity. Thus, in the absence of force, the *only way to influence the actions of others* is through persuasion, argument, and discussion. This is what is happening right now in the heated back and forth going on with the OP_RETURN configuration setting, and we should be celebrating the fact that nobody can be dictated to here. So, welcome to cryptoanarchy, come on in, the water is fine.