Let’s try something different
Defining Altcommerce and where blockchain fits into our future
Einstein said: “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels”
I have seen this quote, in some form or another, many times in my life. On some occasions I wouldn’t think on it too much, on others I would wonder what a new type of thinking might look like. Of course, before you’ve seen the future it’s difficult to wrap your head around it, but once you’ve seen it unfold, the course seems obvious and as if it were inevitable.
We exist today in a cyclical and bipolar world, where there are fierce proponents on either end of the spectrum between socialism and capitalism (and a few casual agnostics in between) - As a society, through history, we oscillate back and forth between these ideological frameworks, trying to find a fitting place to land. The impetus of the capitalist is greed, and the impetus of the socialist is jealousy. Conventional, linear reasoning might suggest that the ideal path forward would find us somewhere in the middle of these schools of thought, however, the pendulum continues to swing in perpetuity. Even if we were to break our collective habit and finally establish such an ideological landing place, might we only land somewhere on this existing thought spectrum, or is there another dimension that should be considered? I believe that other dimension, or a “new way of thinking”, has already been discovered - we’re currently just figuring out its implementation.
Blockchain is not just a technological leap, it’s a philosophical one. The biggest contributor to the issues our society faces is its incentive structure. The reason we move through history in a cyclical manner, and institutions as well as individuals act unethically is because our inherent incentive structure (mostly financial) supports it. The reason people throw paint cans in the nearest river instead of taking them back to the recycler is because there is financial incentive to do so. The reason your telecoms provider sneaks new fees onto your bill is because they are rewarded for doing so. The reason politicians lie through their teeth to voters, and then act only in alignment with their biggest donors is because they are most strongly incentivized to do so. Blockchain has the potential to override the Tragedy of the Commons by pushing the power to the edges of society and incentivizing behavior that is in alignment with what consensus determines to be generally ethical or good and drives us toward a future that benefits all.
If we can establish a self executing, democratic/meritocratic system and drive the incentives away from our immediate whims (a capitalist habit), meanwhile avoiding the many pitfalls of socialist-style distributions, we may just be on to something with more longevity than the typical, historic empire cycle. Blockchain is the infrastructure that such a system could be built on top of.
We would have to be careful with the design of such a system that it would be corruption resistant and is self-healing if such a corruption occurs - an entirely possible premise if built on Blockchain with decentralized governance folded into the system.
We’ve tried both sides of the idealogical coin many times throughout history. In my opinion, capitalism is favorable to socialism with regards to a line of best fit for all participants, however, even in our capitalist model there are still inevitably centralized entities making decisions about how the capitalist container ultimately functions. As such, empires predictably cycle through phases of prosperity and demise, conflict and reconciliation, currency debasement and consolidation, resource scarcity and overabundance. Are we happy to ride the rollercoaster that is time’s wheel, with large institutions making choices to pulling us back and forth through these phases, or do we hope to one day break that cycle? This is what I’m here for: I’m ready to see humanity try something new.
Altcommerce is how I’m defining that something new; P2P everything. No intermediaries, no wages that are grossly disproportionate to productivity, and no crooked and centralized systems.
Remember when Napster arrived and was followed by other p2p networks, and then torrents? Remember when you thought: this is so much better than before! The financial equivalent of that is currently being developed and implemented. Much like how artists were hurt in the transition away from consumers being forced to buy records, many good people will be burned as legacy systems falter. We horribly fumbled the transition away from record companies at the center of the music industry, though. They commandeered the idea of such an efficiency, packaged it up to benefit them, and now we call it “streaming” - an even less favorable system for artists. Similarly, CBDCs are the vehicle by which legacy institutions hope to commandeer the efficiency narrative from Blockchain. Right now, we have an opportunity to choose a system that would hold such institutions accountable, but will we?
Most people just don’t care enough to consider such things. If the government starts handing out free money, they take it; missing the reality that those handouts have already been secretly taxed from them through debasement and inflation - the lynchpin that holds together this system of credit, derivatives and growth in perpetuity (regardless of productivity). Everyone knows the world is crooked, but everyone also believes a collective course correction is beyond their individual power; I believe that conclusion to be false. We have been given a gift, in Blockchain, and I will ride for the revolution, I will push to usher in adoption and open as many eyes as possible.
I’ll end with this perfectly fitting quote from Orson Welles, which still gives me chills every time I read it:
“Giving the world back to its inhabitants is too big a job for the merely practical; too brave a task for pessimism. The architects of an enduring peace must be capable of hope. They must believe in people—all the people. They must face the unimaginable vistas of man’s destiny. God grant them steadfast hope—and the rest of us enduring patience. For we must not expect from any leadership a shiny, ready-made millennium in our time. No one of us will live to see a blameless peace. We strive and pray and die for what will be here when we’re gone. Our children’s children are the ancestors of a free people. We send our greetings ahead of us, to them. — To history yet unmade, our greetings.
To the generations sleeping in our loins: Be of good heart! The fight is worth it.”
Stay blessed, I love you.