Community Means Something

In an ever-increasingly digital world, the connections and experiences you will value most fondly are the ones you have in person. When you sit back to remember your ten favorite memories, there is an extremely high likelihood they are your favorite because you were with someone you care about at a place in the real world. I believe as we continue to see expanding technological industries, specifically in the realms of AI and virtual reality, in-person connections and experiences will only become more valuable.

Two weeks ago, I spent a weekend in Nashville for the 2024 Bitcoin Conference. I was one of the thousands of people who flocked to Nashville in a specific pursuit of coming together with others who had similar beliefs and excitement about Bitcoin.

I had never been to any sort of conference, especially to this scale, and my number one takeaway is that community is important.

Community means something.

Community is what the human experience is all about.

I initially struggled to go up to random people at the conference to speak with them and learn more about their respective companies and pursuits in the industry. It was daunting to me because of how foreign this experience of a conference was to me. However, I quickly realized that unlike in normal small-talk interactions where you need to first find a similarity, common interest, or connection to break the ice, I already had the biggest icebreaker I needed to start any conversation—an interest in Bitcoin and a belief that it will change the world.

I individually talked to many people from many different companies over the course of the weekend and the most unifying similarity was that everyone I spoke to inherently believed in the same message I did. They were also all pursuing a life passion to help build and be active participators in the next phase of the Bitcoin industry.

One particular example that stood out to me came from a conversation I had with Zack Pardey, the founder of Bold Bitcoin. When I asked what made him decide to create Bold, he told me with absolutely no hesitation that he built the product/company he had always dreamed of. He started with a vision and let it become his life pursuit to fulfill. Zack’s response is unique in the end product, Bold, but very similar to the overarching feeling I took away from anyone I interacted with at the conference.

They cared about Bitcoin and they cared about making an impact.

I also sat in the audience for numerous speakers whom I had only previously known from videos I had seen online or books they had written. The widespread array of topics and discussions once again displayed that Bitcoin is about so much more than “number go up,” Bitcoin is about changing nearly every aspect of our world, for the better.

Additionally, two of the three primary candidates in this year’s presidential election spoke at the conference. Robert F, Kennedy Jr. gave one of the best Bitcoin speeches I have ever seen, especially when you consider his status as the potential next leader of the free world. Former President Trump also gave a speech where he discussed Bitcoin. If you told me 4 years ago that two presidential candidates, and one former president, would have spoken at a Bitcoin conference, I am not sure I would have believed you. Regardless of your political beliefs, their presence at the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville brought a spotlight and sense of further legitimacy to Bitcoin continuing to move into a matter of national importance.

Outside of the conference, I still found time to meet up with fellow Bitcoiners. I used the “Orange Pill App,” an app specifically focused on connecting Bitcoiners together to find events to attend. I found a 5k that was set up to run in support of ALS research and specifically in remembrance of Hal Finney, one of the original Bitcoin community members. I also went to a rock’n’roll party where I had the chance to meet Matteo Pellegrini, the founder of the Orange Pill App. I had a conversation with him specifically about the importance of real-life interactions and how important they will continue to be in a world of increasing digital infiltration. It is my conversation with him that greatly inspired me to gather my thoughts on this idea and resulted in this piece.

14 years ago when Bitcoin was in its infancy, the only people aware of its existence were true cypher-renaissances. Every year since, more and more people have learned what it was and gradually come together in support of the impact that a sound, peer-to-peer, form of money can have on the world. Today, Bitcoin and the members within its community are pushing the movement forward to where it can no longer be ignored. Gradually, then suddenly, Bitcoin will change the world.

Stack SATs.

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