The first time I heard about bitcoin was from my husband. He came home from work one day very excited to tell me all about this magic internet money. I was not impressed. I told him he sounded crazy and that was that, or so I thought. He brought up the conversation again maybe a week or two later. But this time he made sense, I could understand more of what he was saying and I could see how passionate he had become about it. Don’t get me wrong he still sounded like a lunatic (I think his eyes were even glowing) but he clearly did some reading and was able to communicate what he learned to me in a way I could understand. From then on, we were in it.
At first I was in it for the money. The gains. I saw it as a way to grow our wealth for our family. I learned what I could from my husband. But I didn’t know enough about Bitcoin to ask many questions. The questions I would have were so broad that I got a broad response that didn’t really satisfy me or leave me with any more understanding. Which in turn made me feel like it was a me problem. I was too afraid to try and actually learn about it because I thought it was too technical and advanced for me. I don’t have a fancy degree or job, so I just let it be his thing, I didn’t go any deeper. But he sure did. I would support him in everything he does, every article he writes, podcast he’s on and every conversation we have (that I could keep up on) about bitcoin.
My support led to him inviting me to accompany him at a Bitcoin event. I was incredibly nervous, I thought every conversation would be miles over my head. I thought I would just be there. But then I met the bitcoin community and I was in awe. It’s hard to even describe the feeling of being surrounded by these people. Whatever it is, it’s in the air and it is contagious. Everyone is excited to see one another, everyone supports each other, they all want you to succeed and they are so incredibly kind. You can feel it. And it’s impossible to not be affected by it. I immediately decided to learn as much as I can about bitcoin.
As soon as we got home, I opened the notes app on my phone and started two lists. Things I know about Bitcoin and questions I have about Bitcoin. I leaned on the Bitcoin community, joining Bitcoin twitter(x) and asking for advice on where to even start. Again I was blown away by the support, people I don’t personally know giving me encouraging words and lists of resources. I started reading Bitcoin Evangelism (which I bought at the event after meeting the incredibly kind author) and I was able to move almost all of my bullet points from my questions about bitcoin list, to the things I know about bitcoin list. I was realizing how much more there is to bitcoin and my mind was blown.
I am now able to ask specific questions to get answers that leave me fulfilled and excited. I have conversations with my husband and other Bitcoiners that make me think back to his initial mania state and now I wonder if my eyes are also glowing as I’m speaking about bitcoin.
I’m realizing it’s not just about the money but it’s a revolution. I’m realizing how important it is to let people know it’s not too technical or difficult for them to also learn but it’s necessary. I realized introducing a normie to the community could be all it takes to orange pill someone. It’s regular people creating a world we want to live in. A fair money system that can’t be cheated or inflated the way our current fiat system is. Good luck trying that with bitcoin. Bitcoin is for everyone.
I’m at the beginning of my journey, but realizing how little effort is needed to show people the power of bitcoin if they can just experience it. If they can experience the amazing contagious community they will be sure to develop laser eyes. I was a relatively passive participant for several years, but meeting the community first hand made me want to dive in.
I am still learning. But I think everyone is. Bitcoin is the future because Bitcoin just makes sense. Sometimes you just need to feel it.
This is a guest post by Lindsey Koss. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.