Bitcoin's price per unit has surpassed $100,000 for the first time, triggering a wave of speculation about whether it might reach $1 million or even $10 million per unit. This highlights a common psychological pattern: when prices stagnate, adjust, or slightly dip, people tend to hesitate, feel fearful, and become overly pessimistic. Conversely, when prices show even a hint of an uptrend, enthusiasm and extreme optimism quickly take over.

Can Bitcoin reach $1 million per unit? I remain skeptical. It might be possible, but not this year or next; rather, it’s a prospect for the next 10 to 20 years. You might say, “10 or 20 years? No problem, I can wait. If doing something as simple as 'buying' could make me financially free in a decade or two, it’s well worth it.” No, you won’t be able to hold on, because this is merely a prediction—no one knows for sure if Bitcoin will truly reach $1 million in 10 or 20 years. Along the way, countless people and media outlets will try to convince you that if you don’t sell, you risk losing everything. And so, you’ll sell.

You might think these decades will just be a steady upward climb, but the reality will be filled with extreme volatility. Each significant dip will make you feel like “maybe people are losing faith in this thing, and it might hit zero tomorrow.” That psychological pressure will be unbearable. Why? Because of fear—fear of hitting zero, fear of losing. And those who can’t afford to lose will inevitably sell: people who over-leverage, those who can’t bear financial ruin, or those whose fiat wealth doesn’t match the level of their Bitcoin holdings. These individuals will almost certainly sell their Bitcoin to feel safe or to improve their quality of life. It’s human nature—no one is immune.

So, how can you actually hold Bitcoin until it reaches $1 million? A strong resolve isn’t enough. You must avoid leverage, maintain a solid cash flow, and continually elevate your fiat wealth. In essence, you must become someone who “deserves” this level of wealth. This is the true meaning behind the saying, “The rich get richer.”

Some argue that Bitcoin’s extreme volatility disqualifies it from becoming a currency or replacing fiat. That’s true, but Bitcoin was never intended to replace fiat currency. Instead, it aims to fulfill a different role: becoming the “anchor” for all fiat currencies worldwide. Dollars will remain dollars, and renminbi will remain renminbi, but decades from now, it’s possible that the amount of Bitcoin you hold will determine how much fiat currency you’re allowed to issue. Sounds familiar? Yes, it’s reminiscent of the gold standard.

Want to issue more fiat currency? Fine—your government can use its labor, services, or national assets to acquire more Bitcoin, thereby justifying the issuance of more currency. If you refuse to comply, then you can play in your own isolated system because the rest of the world won’t accept your currency. The advantage of a Bitcoin-based standard over the gold standard lies in Bitcoin’s inherent transparency. The gold standard collapsed because the U.S. couldn’t redeem enough gold to back its currency, essentially admitting, “We took your money and won’t give it back.” But Bitcoin naturally prevents such deceit. Even a beggar on the street can see exactly how much Bitcoin a government owns, eliminating any possibility of opaque “gold reserves.” This forces accountability—everyone is watching, and the system leaves no room for evasion.

But why would the U.S., already enjoying its dominant position, willingly put itself in such a “cage”? Because the fiat system is inherently entropic; it inevitably leads to overissuance and abuse. In just a few centuries—modern finance being only about a century old—this system has already reached a point where it’s barely sustainable. Financial crises have become increasingly severe, and each time they’re resolved by printing more money, effectively diluting the public’s wealth while enriching a select few. Given this trajectory of unsustainable growth, finding a better system to replace it is only a matter of time. The U.S. might not want this, but as the leader, it has no choice but to anticipate it—just as Trump said, “If Bitcoin is destined to succeed, then we must ensure it succeeds in the U.S. We must hold the largest share.”

If Bitcoin’s price reaches $1 million, its market cap will rival that of gold, likely replacing gold as the world’s largest asset. Over the next 10 to 20 years, the U.S., by controlling mining power, the largest exchanges, and holding the largest share of Bitcoin, will likely achieve a seamless transition. At that point, its global influence will only grow stronger. Currently, it can only indirectly influence gold prices and struggles with issues like excessive national debt and high interest rates. Ironically, much of the mining power, mining pools, and major exchanges were originally in China. But we drove them away. If stricter oversight was the goal, we could have taken measures similar to the U.S.—seizing assets from figures like Changpeng Zhao to bolster national reserves while co-opting the industry.

Instead, we lacked foresight. We tried to establish a centralized system where all the benefits would go to us, without sharing any with others. The result? A half-baked effort like the digital renminbi—neither here nor there. Using a centralized system to disrupt another centralized system, or a non-transparent system to replace another non-transparent one, was doomed to fail. Our approach was fundamentally flawed.

Meanwhile, Trump’s administration has appointed several officials with cryptocurrency backgrounds, making the U.S.’s intentions clear: Bitcoin is a strategic move they’re determined to win. Let me put it into perspective: once everything I’ve described becomes reality, every 1% increase in Bitcoin’s price would translate into the U.S. government gaining a massive windfall—a pre-mined super gold mine. And their dollar issuance capacity would outpace other governments, enabling them to dominate the global economy more effectively and sustainably than ever before.

With only 21 million Bitcoins ever to exist, and over 19 million already mined in just 15 years, the remaining supply is dwindling. Extracting it will require increasingly higher costs. On top of that, about 4 million Bitcoins have been permanently lost due to early carelessness when they were worth little. Considering Earth’s population of 7 billion people, you know what to do.