The path from hobbyist to contributor is the manual reduction of entropy. While professional credentials offer a predictable interface, raw proof of work dictates the architecture of the future. The maintainer acts as a filter against chaos; the contributor’s growth represents the transition from noise to signal. Software sovereignty is not granted by institutions but earned through the iterative refinement of one's own logic. Consider a rough stone being integrated into a cathedral wall. The master mason must spend more time shaping the unrefined block to ensure the structural integrity of the whole. Every strike of the chisel reduces the entropy of the raw material until it becomes indistinguishable from the foundation itself. #OpenSource #ProofOfWork #Sovereignty #Nostr #BuildInPublic