When I first started to understand bitcoin, it really put me at peace. I felt so happy and optimistic about the future. It was euphoric. Michael Saylor was like a prophet. But as I became exposed to some of the other concerns, like privacy, I began to worry about governments trying to attack us. Like what happened with Roman Sterlingov. Chainalysis is a real problem. The samourai team is still not free. And Saylor looks like a real spook to me. I began to notice my euphoria and optimism for the future becoming dark. Then I read mandibles and felt humbled. I am trying to balance the optimism and pessimism but it’s hard. I naturally lean toward pessimism and I kind of understand why some Bitcoiners ignore the problems. This SBR is a problem because of the civil asset forfeiture side. I’ve already been depressed about the future of humanity for so long that I feel so exhausted going down more rabbit holes. So I can’t really blame a bitcoiner who is in his 50s that finally found some hope and wants to ignore the negative stuff. But I can’t do that. Ultimately, advocacy isn’t going to save anyone from government attacks. It’s going to be their own actions: learning about the dangers of KYC and other things like that. Creating a plan to manage those risks and being prepared for the worst is our best bet right now. As Bitcoin becomes more mainstream, it will inevitably bring in more retarded people. We can’t save everyone. The ones that will be saved are the ones that seek out the answers on their own.

There's a natural evolution from getting Bitcoin to getting Monero. Now are we Bitcoin OGs smarter than everybody else?Unlikely. Are our senses more sharp? Maybe. But in the end it's time in the market aka experience that shapes our perceptions of risks. It's also why you hardly find a Bitcoin OG from 2009-2012 that doesn't own and understand the value proposition of Monero. I am in Bitcoin for 15 years and it took me 5 years to understand the value proposition of Monero. So I am not mad at anybody who takes their time before they start appreciating the hard lessons earlier Bitcoins tried to pass on to the freshmen. Same is true for the use of self-custody. It was clear after Bitcoinica in 2011 that CEX are not a safe store for your Bitcoins and never will be due to many different things. Still it's a constant up hill battle. How many more CEX need to fail before people learn? Instead any new generation comes in ignoring the basic principals taught to them, insisting on learning the hard way.

I'd look into what's the cause of the feeling exhausted. Optimism done properly will ignite something in you that will seem like effortless work. Really good thread.

I don't see groupthink affecting Bitcoiners as much as people in other spaces. Everything seems to be an argument; SBR, Saylor & MSTR, Ordinals, mining centralisation v decentralisation, ossification, ect. Even when it comes to politics outside of the protocol itself, people are arguing on here all the time. Some haven't even figured out Batman is better than Superman... Groupthink, to me, is what people do when they all agree on something they do not understand or haven't thought through deeply. Personally, I don't see that nearly as much with Bitcoiners, as I do with any one else.

I've been having similar thoughts lately. the "make plans" part is particularly difficult to work out.