I attended the bitcoin Freedom Festival in Uvita, Costa Rica, January 18-20. It was a unique event that was unlike any bitcoin meetup I have ever attended. There were over 30 speakers during the festival, so I won't attempt to cover every one, but there was one session that stood out and involved a panel of indigenous women, all of whom spoke through a translator. This panel said two things on the final morning that captured the essence of the festival. First, he made it clear that they were led by the Great Spirit to be there on that stage. (“I came because the Great Spirit opened the way,” which included a car to the site.) The wind speaks to us, the water speaks to us, the trees speak to us. Grandpa says: “Always talk about what gives us energy.” Some of these ideas may seem foreign to the Western mind, totally addicted to its screens and disconnected life.
bitcoin IS NATURAL MONEY!
And then one of the panel members described bitcoin in a way I had never heard before. She called it natural currency or “natural money.” It was one of those moments when the blinding flash of the obvious hits you like a bolt of lightning. “bitcoin is natural money.” Wait, he said bitcoin is natural money? Shit, “bitcoin IS natural money!!” The completely ignorant say that bitcoin is not backed by anything, but that is so ridiculously wrong that it makes no sense to even associate with someone who holds that uninformed view. Some bitcoiners like to say that bitcoin is “money backed by energy,” which many bitcoiners (notably Eric Yakes, author of The 7th Property) strongly refute. Eric says that bitcoin is “protected” by energy, which I agree is a better framework.
However, these wise women in the jungle just gave bitcoin the best framework: “natural money.” It starts with tap water, methane gas, hydrocarbons, wind or solar energy. ALL OF THESE ELEMENTS COME FROM NATURE AND THEN ARE CONVERTED INTO ELECTRICITY WHICH ALLOWS bitcoin MINERS (ASIC) TO START MAKING HASH, WHICH FINALLY RESULTS IN bitcoin. Without these natural resources there is no bitcoin. Statement of fact. Start with something natural and end with bitcoin. The idea that all countries in the world have natural resources that previously could not be converted into natural money does not go unnoticed by people in Africa or Costa Rica. (Note: Anyone reading this who likes this idea of natural money AND wants to write a children's book on the topic, please contact me.)
Fiat is the antithesis of natural money
Compare what it takes to produce “natural money” to every fiat currency in the world or any of the major altcoins. Trillions of US dollars can be created from nothing in seconds, as long as you are the central banker or someone in a privileged position (ONE OF THE PRIVILEGED FEW) who can produce money from nothing and certainly NOT FROM NATURE. Fiat is the antithesis of natural money!! “Put it in your pipe and smoke it, Senator Warren!” Fiat is artificial. bitcoin is natural.
Natural money NOT bitcoin
bitcoin is the term for the fanatics, the ideologues and the movement. There is nothing wrong with the term bitcoin, but do we consider the adversarial energy that has been built against it? Our adversaries have constructed some bitter narratives against them. Are they shit? You bet!!! Does most of the world know this? NO!!!
Problem: bitcoin is used as a derisive term by bitcoin's biggest haters, haters and detractors. Personally, I have seen young and old visibly blanch at my mention of the word bitcoin.
Solution: Natural money is much more accessible to the uninitiated. Imagine if we asked Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett, or Peter Schiff this question: “What do you think about natural money?” Their answers will make them look like clowns and ignorant.
Natural money quietly, peacefully and gently creates curiosity around the idea that there is something called natural money in the world. There are all kinds of qualities implicit in that term that neutralize bitcoin's attack surface. It also reduces the attack surface for bitcoin opponents because it is much more difficult to attack “natural money.” Natural money is of the people, for the people and by the people. Of course, you can be against “natural money,” but it almost seems unnatural to do so. It guts some typical attacks and darts launched against bitcoin.
It is the first natural money native to the Internet. It doesn't require much explanation beyond saying that it is the only form of money fueled or obtained from natural resources. Who would want to oppose “natural money”? (As an experiment, go back and read your favorite or the next article about bitcoin, but substitute the term “natural money” every time the word bitcoin appears. How does it reach you?)
CALL TO ACTION
As we gathered around the beach bonfire that final night in Playa Hermosa as the festival drew to a close, I shared this indigenous woman's vision with other festival-goers and it resonated. So, as a final thought, I invite you to consider executing a “soft fork” in your use of language from this point forward and sharing your wisdom far and wide. In my opinion, he captured the gestalt of bitcoin by calling it “natural money.”
From now on, when you have the chance, I suggest you use the phrase natural money 2 times more often when describing bitcoin. Because? There is a large segment of the population that is probably curious about natural money. Psychologically and unconsciously, the world has been HUNGRY for natural money since Nixon closed the gold window in 1971. bitcoin may sound too much like a cult or religious fanatics to those who fail to appreciate its revolutionary impact on humanity. There have been dozens of negative narratives about bitcoin since its inception. To me it seems much more accurate and satisfactory to refer to bitcoin as natural money. One of the festival attendees even created a #naturalmoney Twitter account. As a gesture of respect towards this wise lady, let us know that you agree with her.
This is a guest post by Mark Maraia. The opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of btc Inc or bitcoin Magazine.
