How the 3,219 Words Bitcoin White Paper Changed My Life Forever

Bitcoin White Paper has changed my life
Screenshot of the Bitcoin White Paper by Sylvain Saurel

Life is strange sometimes. I write daily about Bitcoin, money, and economics in general. This allows me to combine two great passions: writing and economics. While writing has always been a passion for me, I must confess that my interest in economics and money did not appear until much later.

To tell you the truth, I wasn’t interested in it at all when I was in high school.

Economics seemed to me to be too complex a field. Looking back, I know now why I felt that way back then. Everything is done with the educational system so that you don’t have the will to discover how the current monetary and financial system works.

Discovering the ugly truth about the current system was a brutal shock

Those who take the step and dare to discover the ugly truth are always shocked. The shock is even brutal. You suddenly ask yourself how it is possible that such an unfair system can exist for 50 years now.

I am talking about a system that favors a tiny minority of people while excluding hundreds of millions of people. I am thinking here of those people on the African continent who are totally excluded from the banking system.

As Westerners, we live in the comfort that does not protect us from all this. For the moment at least. Because the future could be much less cheerful with this current system where central bankers have all the power to print as much money out of thin air as they deem necessary.

I had little interest in these subjects in the past.

Reading the 3,219 words Bitcoin white paper was the first step of an awesome journey

Then one day, in 2014, I came across a white paper with a mysterious title: “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”.

I was intrigued by the fact that the creator of this revolutionary new system had chosen to remain mysterious, but also to offer his system to the world as a magnificent gift for future generations.

I am first and foremost a developer. So what interested me most at the time was the technical side behind the Bitcoin blockchain. I was amazed to see how Satoshi Nakamoto was able to uniquely assemble seven already well-known technological elements to create the first successful implementation of a decentralized digital currency.

The Bitcoin code is open source, so I went to study it carefully.

Then I couldn’t help but implement my own version of the Bitcoin blockchain in the Java programming language. My goal was not to invent a replacement for Bitcoin, but simply to try to reproduce everything I had read in the Bitcoin white paper.

After successfully implementing my own Bitcoin-like blockchain, I didn’t go any further. I have to admit that I didn’t realize at the time the incredible impact that Bitcoin could have on the world of the future.

After limiting myself to the technical side of Bitcoin, I finally opened my eyes to this incredible monetary revolution

I had limited myself to the technical side of Bitcoin. That was a mistake because Bitcoin is first and foremost an incredible monetary revolution. I realized this at the end of 2016 when I returned to take a closer look at Bitcoin.

It was from there that I began to seek a better understanding of the why of Bitcoin. I already had a good understanding of how it works in 2014 by implementing my own version of the Bitcoin Blockchain, but the need for Bitcoin had not yet become clear to me.

So I sought to better understand money, the economy, and how the current system works.

This is something I never thought I would do in my life. However, the 3,219 words of the Bitcoin white paper pushed me to understand all these things that I found too complex before. I made the effort, and today I don’t regret it at all.

Wanting to understand the why of Bitcoin pushed me to learn more about money and economics

By reading books on all these subjects, I really understood how the current system was flawed. I could also understand why it could not be fixed. The people in charge of this system simply don’t have the will. The current system benefits them so much, that changing it would be a real folly from their point of view.

Little by little, I realized that Bitcoin was the solution. The best solution for the people to take back control of their money. An inclusive solution where everyone has the same opportunities. Whether you’re American or Nigerian, Bitcoin doesn’t care.

All you need to buy it is a smartphone and an Internet connection.

Accessible to all, Bitcoin is a revolution for millions of people excluded from the current system. A plan A for their daily lives. It’s no coincidence that Bitcoin is used in countries that are emerging or under authoritarian regimes.

Understanding the flaws in the current system is the key to understanding the importance of Bitcoin for the future

My story with Bitcoin is probably not unique. I know many other people who followed the same path before becoming Bitcoiners. From the solution, we sought to better understand the issues it sought to address.

To fully understand the importance of Bitcoin to the world of the future, you can’t just study the Bitcoin system. You have to go beyond that and study the current system. If you don’t understand the flaws in this doomed system, you won’t realize the inevitability of Bitcoin for the future.

Bitcoin has greatly changed my life by teaching me to develop critical thinking skills and patience. A currency revolution is never instantaneous. To benefit from it, you have to be able to be patient by supporting Bitcoin day in and day out.

This is what I do by sharing my knowledge and opinions every day via articles.

I have been able to meet people with exciting ideas. All of this has made me grow on all levels. If someone had told me all this the day I read the 3,219 words of the Bitcoin white paper, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. But it’s true: Bitcoin has radically changed my life on every level.

Final Thoughts

By realizing the importance of taking back the power over the fruits of my labor, Bitcoin has allowed me to start building a better future for myself and my family. That’s what Bitcoin was designed to do: to empower you as an individual.

Bitcoin is all about power, not money.

If you still haven’t read the Bitcoin white paper, I have only one piece of advice for you: do it. Don’t be afraid of the technical passages, and focus on the essential ideas to get started. By daring to do so, I am sure you will take the first step on a fascinating journey that will change your life forever.

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