Chapter 8:

Power of Acceptance

It All Started with Countries Rich in Resources but Poor in Capital

Consider countries like Venezuela, which possess abundant natural resources, such as oil, but suffer from severe inflation. Why does this paradox exist? It’s due to systemic inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement of those resources.

In such environments, cryptocurrencies have gained significant popularity as an alternative. They provide a way to securely exchange value independently, bypassing failing national systems. When trust in traditional financial systems erodes, decentralized solutions often emerge as a vital lifeline.

The winner is: wait for it!

I don’t believe in zero-sum games, as they are unsustainable. Instead, I think the majority should benefit more in democratic systems.

The global population has surpassed 7 billion, and many fear our resources will soon be challenged. However, we see that as societies gain wisdom, birth rates tend to stabilize. It’s not that a small few should decide for the majority.

I believe the middle class is crucial, as many scientists, architects, founders, and engineers come from this group. This demographic has the potential to lead the world in ways that serve humanity as a whole. Imagine two scientists, one from Pakistan and another from India, not as competitors, but as collaborators working together to solve issues like breast cancer. While this may sound like a fantasy, I think governments often prevent such collaborations due to ideological reasons. What we need is a new form of order—one that transcends political boundaries. I long for a world where humanity itself is the true winner!

Storing Value

In Talking to My Daughter About the Economy, the author explains, in simple terms, how money emerged as a tool for storing value. Historically, humans have always sought ways to store value, and it’s all tied to the concept of prediction.

As Lisa Feldman Barrett explains in Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, our intelligence evolved to help us predict the future, and we measure everything—including AI—by its predictive capabilities. The ability to predict danger has been crucial for survival.

Therefore, storing value is essential. We see this need especially in countries facing existential threats, where people often turn to alternative forms of value storage to avoid government control. I predict that these alternatives will continue to grow, as there should not be third-party monitoring of people’s assets. However, this comes with its own risks, as human nature can sometimes be driven by greed.

Intelligence is Global

We should never underestimate the wisdom of the masses. Many of history’s greatest achievements came from individuals who were not part of the elite. For instance, Alan Turing, whom the UK proudly celebrates, was just an ordinary professor, yet the government executed him without cause. The internet, too, emerged from the efforts of someone seemingly ordinary.

A good example of popular wisdom in action can be seen in the success of crowdfunding platforms, where ordinary people often make better decisions than experts. Despite sociologists and some economists arguing that the “crowd” is often irrational or uninformed, we’ve seen time and again that collective decision-making can outpace top-down, expert-driven approaches. Take Kickstarter, for example—countless innovative products, from tech gadgets to creative projects, have been funded and brought to market because the public, through their contributions and feedback, made the right call when experts might have dismissed the ideas.

In contrast, an expert-driven approach might have overlooked the potential of these ideas, assuming that a handful of specialists should determine what’s “worth” backing or investing in. This is a clear case of how public wisdom can lead to better, more inclusive decisions, especially when individuals have access to education and information to make informed choices.

James Surowiecki’s book The Wisdom of Crowds is a classic example of how popular wisdom can outperform expert judgment. Surowiecki argued that groups, when they function well, are capable of making better decisions than even highly skilled individuals or experts. He pointed to real-world examples like the stock market and scientific discovery—situations where diverse perspectives, accurate information, and collaboration among the public consistently lead to superior outcomes.

One of the most remarkable examples of popular wisdom is Wikipedia. Created and maintained by millions of volunteers worldwide, Wikipedia has become one of the most trusted sources of information on the internet. While experts initially doubted that a crowdsourced platform could compete with traditional encyclopedias, Wikipedia’s success shows that when people contribute their knowledge collectively, the result can be far more accurate, diverse, and up-to-date than any expert-driven project. This is a testament to the power of the crowd, and it demonstrates that intelligence is not reserved for a select few, but is distributed across the global population.

The problem isn’t the government itself, but the belief that a few individuals can determine the fate of the many. Education plays a pivotal role in empowering people. When individuals are equipped with knowledge, they can make their own informed decisions. Intelligence isn’t reserved for a small portion of the world—others are not “barbarians” simply because they lack access to education or resources.

Focus on the Value, Capital, and Humanity, exactly in this order

Ultimately, value is the most important thing to focus on. The foundation of everything—whether it’s food, shelter, or other basic needs—stems from value. Without securing value, nothing else can follow.

Once you’ve identified value, the next step is to secure it. This is where capital comes in, and there is no better system for storing and transferring capital than blockchain and cryptocurrency. Blockchain offers a decentralized, secure, and transparent way to store value, which is crucial in today’s world where trust in traditional financial systems is waning.

Finally, after securing value and capital, we can think about humanity. When we focus on the value we create and the capital we generate through blockchain, we can better serve humanity—enabling progress, addressing basic needs, and supporting innovation that benefits everyone.

So, the order should always be: focus on value first, secure capital next (with blockchain as the best solution), and then look toward improving humanity as a whole.