I’ve been asked a few times by nocoiner friends why I am so interested in Bitcoin. There are several reasons it appeals so highly to me, and I’d like to share the main ones with you now:
1. I grew up in a communist country, where I became well experienced with capital control and censorship.
Experiencing capital control firsthand, I previously had to solve my problems with a convoluted mix of offshore bank accounts. I even built a business around this process to help others solve the same problem.
But this led me to realize that banks are also part of the system—it is not solving the real problem underneath.
Treating the symptom and not the cause will not solve the problem.
But by using Bitcoin, we can easily send any international transfers within minutes,24/7, and at a fraction of the transaction costs of the current banking system!
2. I lived in Turkey for a long time and experienced hyperinflation.
I watched the price of my coffee in Turkey go from 20 to 50 lira in just one year along ( Updated: the coffee is 89 lira in 02.2023 ) with the prices of many other common consumable goods more than double. As a foreigner making dollars while spending lira, this actually worked out in my favor.
But, sadly, many innocent Turkish people are suffering because of the massive devaluation of their currency, and it seems they do not know how to protect themselves. But solutions are out there: Bitcoin, was intentionally created to hedge against inflation—with a limited supply of 21 million.
3. I became a content creator myself and lost control of my work.
Over the past five years, many of my articles have been DELETED from different centralized platforms. I even caught myself being self-censored from time to time, as I grew hesitant to write anything I thought popular platforms wouldn’t approve.
On top of that, these rent-seekers (platforms) have high commissions and own all the data between readers and creators. However, I am really happy to finally be seeing some smart people solving real-life problems and reimagining how we can do things ⚡️
4. I was attracted to Bitcoin for intellectual stimulation and financial reward.
I found myself constantly in awe while tinkering with different new tools. Truth be told, this is the first time I can purely use my intelligence without having to deal with any unnecessary drama or bureaucracy to create financial gain while having fun.
For example, simply being able to support early undervalued protocols and be rewarded with airdrops in Defi land was very fun for me; It also allowed me to experiment with applying my taste to invest in aspiring creative and bold creators early and share their future success in the NFT space.
What a nice playground for a curious mind like mine.
( Updated in 10.2022: I left the crypto space and focused on Bitcoin only, and slowly I realized that the fiat price is nothing but a distraction )
5. I wanted to remain independent and sovereign from tyranny.
Covid, war, censorship, corruption, inflation, and media manipulations are happening everywhere. I truly believe Bitcoin is our hope to remain free in this unfree world. The ability to own the money, transfer them without any middlemen and at any time we'd like to, and being able to build things permissionless, is a game-changer.
What a nice time to be alive and to be part of history.
And I hope my personal experience can help more people start to learn about Bitcoin—yes, it is new, scary, and full of noises, but this is where the future is heading.
Updated in 02.2023:
I built a site about Bitcoin and will share everything I have learned about it, as it changed how I think about many things in life.