How do I permanently leave group DMs? I find these all annoying as hell, especially seeing them in my notifications on amethyst.

I'm not religious. There is no combination of words in the English language that you can use to convince me otherwise. Sometimes, though, I wish there was. To admit anything else would be a lie. Christianity is on the rise amongst bitcoiners, and I sometimes think of my own experiences with religion because of this. I grew up in America with the Greek Orthodox church. I was an alter boy, and I went to Greek school after normal school. We were taught Greek culture, religious topics, language, etc. The church was my social center. More than that, it was an aesthetically pleasing place. The Byzantine iconography. The smells of incense. The feel of the pews. The beautiful hymns chanted in Greek. The taste of the Eucharist. As a youth & young adult, the divine liturgy was an experience for the senses. I wanted to believe. The idea of a greater power watching over us is very powerful. It gives a man purpose. Alas, I could not believe. I do not believe. It's not me. True believers show up every Sunday, but there are also the ones present for the social aspects. It's what they grew up with. They go through the motions, live their lives as decent humans, but are likely too afraid to confront their beliefs. I couldn't respect myself if I did this. I can't be inauthentic to myself and to the true believers in attendance. Being honest with myself meant leaving the church. It was like denouncing the club, removing myself from a social circle that was the foundation for much of my life. It left a space that I've done my best to fill. I think the world would be a better place if everyone lived by the general teachings of Jesus. If we were kind to others. Love your neighbor, forgive people, and all that. This is decent human behavior. I try to live my life this way, but it is not easy. This post isn't a cry for help. Deep down, I'm not trying to be convinced. Much like my journey with the carnivore diet, and diet in general, only my own experiences will convince me. I remain unconvinced. I'm glad some of you are true believers, and I wish you peace and happiness on your spiritual journies. 🧡

How were bitcoiners orange pilled before books and podcasts? The white paper, mostly. I tried reading it in 2011, but found it too technical and boring. Yup.😂 So what worked? A bitcoin-only auction site called Bitmit. A place where I could sell baklava in 2012 with minimal fees. I had a website at the time, but I also had listings on eBay & Etsy for extra exposure. The listing + PayPal fees sucked, so I sold at a markup to make up the difference. BitMit allowed me to sell my baklava at a discount while taking home higher profits. Not bad, but it didn't stop there! I could then flip the bitcoin on LocalBitcoins at a slight markup, earning profit on my profit! Profitception! 🤯 I was an idiot in hindsight, of course. Had I known then what I know now I would have HODLed every sat, but that's not the point. These experiences taught me the true value of Bitcoin, and it had nothing to do with a fiat price. People were willing to pay over spot for something permissionless, with low fee transactions, that entities like PayPal couldn't stop. I never could have gleaned this from the white paper. By mid-2012, I saw that this was something to hold on to. I decided to move off the fiat standard, and on to the Bitcoin standard. That's exactly what I did before the end of the year. And it truly started 13 years ago today. Thanks, Bitmit. ✌️

I will always be a Class of 2011 bitcoiner at heart. I came here looking for an alternative to the dollar, and immediately recognized the potential. I stayed for digital gold, which was easy to grasp. I was already using gold & silver as savings & money long before Bitcoin existed. Wall Street, billionaire investors, nation state Bitcoin adoption - none of this excites or inspires me. I draw inspiration from normal people using Bitcoin to pull themselves out of debt, or to escape government tyranny. People who use better money to work around the existing systems that hold them down. I'm glad there are people who think about the much bigger picture, but that's me. Forever a #Bitcoin pleb. 🧡

When you set out on your #Bitcoin journey, did you ever imagine you'd be so right in such a big way? Friends, family, and strangers all said you were making a mistake. That you were taking on too much risk. Putting too much faith into something new that would probably fail. Yet you persevered. You took the time to learn as much as you could. You dealt with the pains of price drops, months of sideways, company failures, government crackdowns. You refused to break. You earned this victory. ✌️ Enjoy these moments, friends. 🧡

l order steaks medium rare at restaurants I cook rare steaks at home I'm not sure: -Why I do this -Which I prefer 🤷‍♂️🥩