How did everyone get paid?

Most of the day yesterday, I spent working for Hive—though not necessarily on the blockchain itself. I feel there's a need for more dialogue before I truly find my allies here. The truth is, most people haven’t spent the amount of time I have thinking about the value proposition of cryptocurrencies. So when I present a solution, they seem a little confused.

As with many things, education is key. It’s almost as if I have to first show them how they’ve been getting screwed—pour salt in the wounds, even—before I can explain how we might take back our agency. The process isn’t simple, and I’d say it’s quite delicate. You’re, in a way, attempting to shatter their worldview. That’s never easy, and almost never welcome.

That said, I’m fine-tuning my storytelling. I feel like I’m reaching a point where I can identify what line of discussion to take, depending on the person in front of me. Intuitive? Yes. But I submit to you that most people have one “sales pitch,” so to speak, and use it like a hammer—regardless of whether they’re dealing with a screw.

The first in what I hope will be a valuable collection of videos on Philosophy of the Economy went up on my blog last night. I don’t know yet if this account is best suited for Spanish content, but alas, that’s a puzzle piece I’m still figuring out.

The video touches on El Salvador’s Bitcoin triumphs—and also its shortcomings.

Now, I respect President Bukele. I celebrate most everything he’s done for his country. But I’m not blind to the fact that Chivo Wallet—his attempt to Bitcoinize the common folk—somewhat failed.

Most people, when given thirty dollars worth of Satoshis, will simply swap it for local currency. It makes sense. Honestly, any other reaction would’ve surprised me.

There’s a story I share on my Spanish vlog—one I believe is essential to understanding how money really works. It goes a little something like this:

The $100

A man arrives at a hotel he sees in the distance. He’s considering staying there, so he talks to the receptionist. Says he needs to feel the vibes of the place before deciding.

The receptionist says that’s fine, but he’ll need to leave a $100 security deposit to explore the premises. The man agrees, leaves the money, and wanders off.

A second man—blue-collar type—walks in. Turns out he’s the electrician who’d been fixing the place the day before. He’s here to collect payment. The receptionist, smiling, pays him—the same $100.

The electrician heads home, happy. He plops down on his old couch to watch some TV, when there’s a knock on the door. It’s his landlord. Time to pay rent.

So the electrician gives him the $100 he just received. The landlord nods, satisfied, and leaves.

Driving home, the landlord spots the hotel. His daughter’s birthday is coming up, and there’s a ballroom there—perfect for the occasion. He goes in, reserves the space, and pays the deposit: $100. The receptionist puts the money (yes, the same $100) back in the drawer.

Not long after, the first man returns. He’s decided not to stay. He asks for his deposit back, and the receptionist, obliging, returns the very same $100.

As you continue reading my ramblings this morning, keep that story in mind—and ask yourself one question:

How did everyone get paid?

Along Comes Hive

I realize my position—that Bitcoin isn’t particularly useful as real money—ruffles feathers. I’m also aware there’s a white paper that says I’m wrong. But the truth is, things change. Concepts evolve. We have to keep up.

Hive, on the other hand, doesn’t carry the same baggage Bitcoin does. And more importantly, the people who join our peaceful revolution can learn something truly valuable along the way.

They can learn how to fish.

You know the saying: Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day; teach him to fish and he’ll feed himself for life. Or something like that. Becoming a Hivean is precisely that.

We show people how to generate value. How to “feed themselves.” How to synergize with others. How to build communities. How to create parallel economies.

You get my point.

This isn’t about dropping tokens on people and watching them sell them for cash. If it were, I wouldn’t be here. Why? Because while everyone likes free money, that’s not an economy. That’s just a little gift. (Which is fine, but let’s not pretend it’s a revolution.)

I think I’ll leave this ramble here. It’s already a long post, and I suspect most people will tune out before the end. But before I go, let me remind you of the question I posed earlier.

How did all those people get paid?

MenO