A Healthy Financial Culture: People Help the People

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Excuse me for the length of this article, but the importance of the subject required that

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Last week I was invited by a German friend —who is travelling across Latin America— to a meeting in a little restaurant of the "Vrinda House", a successful movement on Hinduism in our country. It is amazing how they could thrive in a time of horrific crisis, despite all difficulties we face in Venezuela.

The meeting was about a light sharing of our viewpoints on cryptocurrencies. We talked for a while and then my German friend wanted to buy some sweets for us, and he would buy them in crypto.

Later I understood that he had undertaken the job of speaking to the owners of this restaurant (and many others) about the benefits of cryptocurrencies, and the best way to manage them. So these restaurants now accept payments by some virtual blockchain-based assets... My friend bought all of our sweets using DASH.

The potential for a free economy

That experience pushed me, one step further, to this big possibility of making a life completely based on a free economy, set on the hands of the people.

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I know the relativity of that concept (the people), and I don't really like it very much1; but it's the only notion that expresses what I mean now. You understand... that 99% whose lives are manipulated always by politicians, corporations and all the other people in control.

The opportunity for a free economy would mean that some major areas of people's lives would fall into their hands again2... our lives in our hands. That's just too beautiful for my eyes, that have seen so much power abuse and authoritarianism.

Of course, that would depend on many many factors in this big system of interrelated realities that we call modern society. To explore that, we would need to deviate from my present subject into the realm of politics, culture and philosophy.

For now, I think it's enough to say that the best regime known for the blooming of these potentialities is, of course, a liberal one3, that would respect profoundly the freedom of the individuals, encouraging them to manage their lives and improve their communities by their actions and endeavors.

A healthy culture of distributed systems

From the workshops about blockchain I've attended, I remember clearly the difference between centralized, decentralized and distributed systems. The last one is the case of the majority of virtual currencies we use today, and its advantages on security, stability (although not in currencies' prices, not yet) and freedom are undefeatable.

Nonetheless, from my standpoint in Venezuela, I constantly notice some of the big obstacles for this new economy to arise and spread. I'd like to speak a bit about that, because I haven't seen yet other bloggers to address these specific issues in this way. It might be because most of the people studying these things are from countries with different conditions.

Bad habits

I often hear (and read) a lot of complaints about the fall in the price of Steem4 and other coins, and the causes for that fall. Sometimes it is expressed —by the most engaged crypto-enthusiasts— with hatred against the people who sell their coins without any consideration on investing or saving.

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I think, as always, that they are partially right. They fail to understand that these issues are not personal, and every personal attack or ranting will just leave aside many important considerations, that should be understood to apply sound measures for the solution of these problems. A hurt subjectivity doesn't work well when analyzing reality.

I've seen (and experienced), for example, that the Venezuelan community in Steemit —which is one of the biggest in this ecosystem, maybe the biggest one— has gigantic difficulties to behave more caringly towards these coins, so that their prices could stabilize.

The key obstacle is, of course, the slightness of the rewards. When survival is in jeopardy, you cannot (even you must not) allow yourself to care about future benefits, because if you don't solve your present urgencies... you have no future.

It is easy to criticize another's behaviors when your conditions don't set your life (and that of your familiy) in jeopardy everyday. But it is a healthy mental exercise to try walking in the other's shoes. After all, these technologies were created on ideals of freedom and solidarity for the sake of that 99%... and not only for those living in developed countries. People help the people.

The road to caring

So, the aforementioned conditions explain why when a Venezuelan blogger gets some coins —in whatever platform—, he often withdraws them very fast. However, we must realize that if this is the only treatment of our crypto-economy, our assets devaluate unavoidably.

But I have noticed that it is not only the Venezuelans or other oppressed peoples that behave like that. Many others with better conditions manage their earnings the same way and, in their case, not necessarily pushed by the urgencies of their environments.

It's a lack of culture, a lack of a healthy financial culture, that could benefit us and every other member of our virtual ecosystem. As I say often, the success and stability of these platforms are our own success and stability.

In the Venezuelan case, I'm trying to develop with some friends of the International Esperanto Community (a niche where I belong) an initiative that could start the seeding toward that kind of culture, which would help the Venezuelan crypto-bloggers and their esperantist colleagues around the world.

With my friend @mattgroening, I'll be building a Tutmonda Esperanta Kripto-Akademio (Worldwide Esperanto Crypto-Academy) on these very ideals. That great initiative came from Matt.

Materializing freedom

Following the example of my German friend (the one of the sweets), who convinced some businessmen to accept cryptocurrencies, I plan to realize some events to materialize the benefits of this free economy, so that people could see it is a real, factual and present opportunity. We'll give learning workshops, art performances, advertising, meetings and so on.

I think it is very important to make something, something material, person to person, to strengthen these possibilities. We have to show this as a reality which intermixes our virtual and real dynamics. If our activities cannot create community AFK, our reach will remain strongly limited forever... that would be sad.

Of course, to make that financial culture a reality —in the case of Venezuela—, we must earn enough for taking us out of this survival mode. Then we'll inevitably begin to think in our future as groups and individuals, and also in the future of the ecosystems where we get that financial peace... which is so rare in our country.

The crypto-bloggers should be ready to save some of their earnings, not only powering up (which is a kind of investing), but saving in order to spend some of that directly. I and my fellow esperantists would often advise for that goal. That could lead us to the other possibility: a direct economy based on cryptocurrencies.

Finally, I wish to encourage all of you to explore and share ideas about this possible new culture for cryptocurrency management. We need a culture for the protection of our ecosystems, a new perspective for a good management of our own economy. It's a matter of education. But it won't happen if we don't speak about it.


If you are interested in these projects and ideas, please follow me and remain attentive to the development of my work.


Footnotes

1: Commonly the people is what governments and parties want it to be. It's very easy to use that concept without care, because it is an abstraction to mean "all civilians of a country". The people, in reality, are many groups with different values and goals, but manipulators speak about them as being a coherent unity. As Mckenna understood: If you can make they think alike, they'll buy alike... they'll kill alike.
2: I say "again" because it is proven that humanity lived with great freedom and reciprocity before the establishment of civilization. It was civilization that brought to us all these hierarchies and oppression. But, at the other hand, it's also civilization (and that stratification) which brought to us all this technology. No black & white perspectives here.
3: According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, liberalism is a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard. It is also a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties. We, liberals, have no guilt over the fact that some politicians so called "liberals" don't support those values.
4: Must the names of these currencies be written with upper case?


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You can share my writings on your social networks and websites; but be so kind as to inform my authorship, as well as the source of the text with a link to my blog.

~Spirajn Senpretend~

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Mi jam pripensis pagi votantan roboton por apogi vian artikolon. Nu finfine mi decidis reafiŝi ĝin dufoje. Kutime mi uzas unu au du stimoj por apogi miajn artikolojn de votada servo aú roboto post duona tago se la valoro ne estas sufiĉe alta. kutime mi uzas ian ĉe steembottracker.

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Dankegon pro via apogo. Sufiĉas diskonigi. Mi komfortas kun disvolvado iompostioma tiel ke personoj laŭgrade komencos ekvidi miajn proponojn kaj eble helpi nin.
Mi certas ke se ni agos konstante kaj inteligente, niaj voĉoj atingos pli vaste ĉiufoje.

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Hi @spirajn,
This is a very interesting article. Even more because I've just written one on the same topic:

But I have noticed that it is not only the Venezuelans or other oppressed peoples that behave like that. Many others with better conditions manage their earnings the same way and, in their case, not necessarily pushed by the urgencies of their environments.

The behavior of selling of steem is not only linked to the needs of people. In a time of declining prices, people fear that they will loose value if they keep the coins. So they tend to sell them to get a more stable currency.

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Oh yes, it's exactly like that: a simple rational reaction to protect their assets. But I'm exploring the possible shift of perspective, when people get to know that saving some of that and living by a direct use of their cryptocurrencies, also gives valuable things to their lives: a big freedom, prosperity within a community and advantages from this new economy.
Oh I'll read your article. Many thanks for your support.
!tip

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By the way, I've just added you to the @help.venezuela project. All your posts will get an automatic upvote from this account.

Best regards,
Achim

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Oh that's a great help my friend. Thank you very much. I will keep my best efforts to honor the support I receive.

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Greetings appreciated @spirajn.

First time I read any of his writings. I had this opportunity to find your article thanks to the Telegram channel "Project Hope" from my great friend @ crypto.piotr.

First of all I would like to congratulate you on this concept of entrepreneurship that you are considering. Education is definitely the basis for achieving truly civilized individuals. I hope that these culturing activities that you intend to develop reach a large audience that is able to obtain real benefits with the implementation of their councils and achieve at least part of their economic independence.

I see you have clear knowledge of the Venezuelan economic and social situation.

You are right, for a Venezuelan it is practically impossible to save. We are in a survival routine that forces us to convert to Fiat the few cents we get with our publications on steemit.

Powerup represents a great effort. At least if we intend to do so using liquid external funds. We would have to have electronic dollars to acquire cryptography. It is also possible to acquire it with national currency but this represents a major expense due to commissions.

I wish you the greatest success in your new venture.

Your friend, Juan.

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Many thanks for your good desires, @juanmolina. Certainly it's hard to further our endeavors in this country. But our strength lies in the improvement of our communities.

I've begun this campaign to bring here and educate the Esperanto community. Step by step we'll be building all these projects and creating this new financial culture.

I invited you to take a look at this first video I published recently (it has English subtitles):

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Thank you very much dear friend.
Good luck.
I´ll follow you.

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Friend @spirajn, better explanation I think that impossible, especially with the Venezuelan case to which you and I belong, my case is that economic emergencies are the order of the day, therefore it is almost impossible to save, however in many cases I do and Thanks to that I have been able to get out of some economic holes.

I am interested in this project. you can count on me. for whatever comes out.

In fact I am currently with a group of Venezuelans and a Polish friend (@crypto.piotr) who is our guide, and we have a project called: Project-Hope, there we are gradually supporting good content as well as this one that serves of much help.

I congratulate you for your initiative in this platform, everyone is welcome.

Best regards,
LanzJoseg

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Many thanks for your support. I will certainly let you know about the progress of that project. I think that by materializing our relationships we could get more strength and benefits. That is worthy of our efforts.

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Brother @spirajn, Without waste this publication, you are sorry for the length of it.

A great analysis of the reality of the ecosystem and our own reality in Venezuela, it is very difficult to be hungry and accumulate cryptocurrencies, it is also true that we must contribute to the stability of this platform because its stability translates into our stability, we must make a effort together to stabilize this ship that has brought us hope.

I go and then come back.

Fucho

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Dear @spirajn

I bookmarked your post few days ago and somehow I forgot about it until just now. Hope you're still checking out your comments :)

I like the dream of free economy. I really do. But that many-people-dream doesn't seem to ever take into consideration that this world is full of greedy people.

Im afraid, that your idea of free economy would be quickly abused left and right and it would either end up really badly. Humans are not ready for it.

After all - people will always be people. Nothing but wolfes to each other.

Great read. Indeed long one, but worth every minute.

Upvote on the way .
yours, Piotr

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@crypto.piotr Well... free economy is utopian but still crypto is empowering , people can get aid without govt. interference as well. Like in case of Iran ... https://staging.busy.org/@mintymile/crypto-aiding-iranian-people-affected-by-floods

Iran the country that was devastated by floods and needed foreign aid could not get it because foreign bank accounts were blocked, due to US sanctions.

However, a blockchain and crypto iniative allowed for people around the world to donate to Iran though crypto without fear and anonmyously, and there is no Govt. hand in this as well.

Donated Transactions are transparent too, recorded on the site and blockchain.

So, crypto can kind of be slightly empowering to people. I don't know about free economy, but it does offer some freedom atleast now practically in Iran's case.

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Thanks for your amazing comment @mintymile

I just had a chance to read it with quite delay.

Yours,
Piotr

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I understand, and I agree that we have to be careful about the outcomes of every ideal. I've seen too many ideals of "social justice" used by the worst people to oppress and get power.

As I see this, the human dynamic is naturally a space for greed, but also for solidarity and collaboration. It's always in our hands, at every moment of our human experience, to decide what manifestation we accept and develop.

Every individual and group could aim for better conditions to the practice of a healthy and free economic system, but we could also aim for those that glorify our greed.

But that is very attached to the cultural messages that surround our lives. That's why I give so much weight to the culture (advocating for a new one), because, as I see it, this is essentially a matter of education.

I have this strong certainty that greedy and bad people will always be there, with their neurotic and anxious ambitions. But if they arrive into social contexts where people seed and care a culture of reciprocity and common wellness, those sick individuals couldn't get too much. Either they leave or they stay, fitting to those healthy values.

Culture is powerful! It's a very powerful thing. But we need more cultural creators aware of the big power they have, so that they can inspire other values in our societies.

And then there is also the nature of the instrument itself. I think that @mintymile brought a brilliant point about that: Blockchains are instruments that, for their own design, can really empower people and give them the ability to develop their own economy.

That is something so new, so unseen in the human history, that we still do not understand its importance completely. The nature of financial instruments always plays a major role in the possible uses for those instruments.

So if we have the instrument, and we also have the culture... then maybe it is not a dream anymore!

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Thanks for your amazing comment @spirajn

I just had a chance to read it with quite delay.

Yours,
Piotr

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You know, now I started powering up steem, I got 40$ that I needed kind of but said no, let's invest, especially its bull market, with these sentiments of people wanting stability with the fiats of their respective countries devaluing.

I have one doubth here - the Venuzulean people, convert their cryptos into fiat?,...but their fiat is worthless right, thought they are forced by circumtances to hold on to cryptos.

that being said, I do appreciate crypto community and it can do a lot of good.

For ex, Iran getting fireign aid through crytpos as the international account is blocked because of US sanctions.

https://staging.busy.org/@mintymile/crypto-aiding-iranian-people-affected-by-floods

So, crypto is helping people in need of aid for sure and its beautiful. The role of crypto community is also important.

Lovely article, re-blogging it.

I totally understand what you imply, except, atleast in Venezula crypto is not banned so people can transact in crypto which is useful for them because even if cryptos are volatile, its better than a gone collapsed fiat currency.

Right now... its Paramount to hold not trade, some amount of your savings coz in few years time good cryptos will rise in value - btc, eth, ltc even these basic ones, if we can't you know research deeper. And yes Dash as well!!!

Now, people,institutions are going to use crypto practically, and this is some free economy, which is exciting. Though, that being a great cause having cryptos and blockchain have useful practical use cases to be adopted, there will be greedy investors, some just in for making money so they will invest in deriative products given by 3rd party institutions.

These go hand in hand... anyway.

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Yes, I think there will be always the greedy ones, but if we keep developing relationships and dynamics of reciprocity and solidarity, we could build economic streams very good for our groups.

The case of Iran is highly meaningful: When the powerful people of the world fight each other, they use us, the people, as their bullets and shields. We are trapped in the political games and we are the most affected.

So if we can use blockchains to withdraw ourselves from their sick games, it is already a kind of freedom... practical, real freedom.

Well, in Venezuela we need the official currency (VES) of the country to buy stuffs, so we do exchange our cryptos for VES. But we avoid to hold much of that fiat currency because, as you said, it is indeed worthless. The inflation makes its value lesser from one day to another (sometimes even from one hour to another).

Instead, we try to hold fiat currencies of other countries... mainly USD. And that led us to a "dollarization" of our national economy: you can buy things with US dollars almost everywhere in Venezuela, and everyone prefers that. We prefer to hold USD because our money doesn't devalue. It is our "stable coin".

The beautiful news are that many people are coming to accept cryptos directly in their business. So, we could buy our stuffs with them.

But the official acceptance of cryptos is relative. They "accepted" crypto but they put conditions to control the whole flow of it. They put "limits" on the amount we can receive, and they command to perform every transaction only by platforms of the government.

They want to keep us in the most miserable conditions, so that we remain dependent on them forever.

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Yes, I really feel for the Venezueleans... hope everything becomes ok. It is unfortunate, that dialy life of people is affected by the Govt. , totally not cool, and I can see why people will choose an alternate way to keep currency and transact.

I hope there is a blockchain solution, or people save accordingly for their future.

I am unfortunately at times a little greedy, seeing cryptos that they would rise up in value for investments, but somewhere I really like crypto being useful in the real world, and I really happy its giving ways for people to get aid when things are uncertain, that gives me more happiness than even my crypto investments going up for sure,

Keep up the good work in sprading the good word. My only problem is Govt. control and regulation, I can't use crypto in my Indian country for anything, and it maybe banned, so only use case I can find for it is hold and sell, But there is also the blockchain technology aspect, and that would find its ways anywhere as Govts. need it, weather crypto makes it or not and that will pave the wave for some crypto penetration in countries I guess ultimately.

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Yes, I also believe that the governments will have to accept the new structures brought to our societies by the crypto revolution. It is simply the future.

Of course, the status quo always resists against changes, and sometimes that means violence (mostly in the hands of the States). That's a real problem.

Please be careful and prudent!

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