249 years ago a brave group of leaders in an upstart colony decided to take the radical step of declaring a new nation, separating themselves from the monarchy its members had grown up and prospered within. It’s wild to imagine today, but at the time, the future looked rather uncertain, even unlikely, for this new experiment in self-government. The British crown launched a massive expedition aimed at curbing the rebellion of British subjects. Led by its finest military minds, dozens of ships carrying thousands of soldiers reached New York harbor a few days before the Declaration.

Although contested over several fiercely fought battles, New York City was lost that summer and became the center of operations for the British effort to retake its prized colonies. Throughout the rest of the year, the ragtag band of patriots were forced to retreat again and again until finally prevailing in a surprise attack on Christmas in Trenton. While a powerful force may be able to physically control territory and events, in the case of the Americans it was not able to stamp out its spirit. The rest, as they say, is history.

One important takeaway from the events of centuries ago is a dynamic we could call “Forged by Fire”. Wherever there exists an irrepressible human spirit, setbacks and suffering (short of death) only create strength. That strength allows underdogs to overcome against stacked odds and superior resources, to the extent we could say that initial failure is required for sustained success. Anyone out there building something new and different will have to confront failures and setbacks, and how they respond will determine whether it results in growth or decay.

It’s worth considering this story and lessons because we face power structures every bit as tyrannical and absolutist as King George back in those days. It has become cliché to observe we are in a new American Revolution, although what is meant by that tends to take on a partisan tilt, showcasing the deviousness of those leaders who would co-opt patriotic spirit. However, it is clear we are living through a revolutionary moment, with citizens becoming increasingly willing to depart from Establishment messaging. Even if it appears hopeless. Even at the risk of some personal sacrifice. Even if, as often happens, the only alternative is completely full of bullshit, batshit, or dogshit.

It’s notable how this past week events in NYC took a sudden turn against Establishment rule. On one side we had an aging, corrupt, dynastic, corporate avatar and on the other a youthful, pure-hearted, immigrant democratic socialist. On one side, millions of dollars and worn-out attacks. On the other, volunteers organized by word-of-mouth and crisp messaging focused on hardship faced by everyone outside the upper crust. Incredibly, the young upstart pulled off a resounding victory right in the Capital of Capitalism, as some observers put it. The first of many battles, perhaps. But regardless of what one thinks of the proposed policies, this narrative is undeniably a heroic one.

Turning back to the state of our beloved crypto, we see a very similar dynamic taking place. Big capital, sometimes the very same big name institutions in traditional finance, seem content to dominate the space for their own short term interests. This course would be tragic, for we hold in our grasp the opportunity to achieve the greatest advance in sovereignty and liberty since the Age of Revolutions so long ago. This time, the revolution in question would be in the realm of work, the promise of uniting labor and capital. Unlike the monolithic socialist movements of last century, this restructuring can happen on the terms of every individual, in any organization. Still, we see highly centralized and capitalized enterprises striving to carve out their own little corner of the same old marketplace with slightly different names and tech. While they’re ignoring the Big Prize, decentralized patriots fight on. Forging themselves in Fire.

Brooklyn has many unique and monumental aspects that make it an ideal testing ground for a new revolution, providing a new base of support for radically different forms of organization; the hills where bullets flew just after the nation declared independence; where the first major political shots were fired in supporting Mamdani with huge margins; its status as a crypto hub; not to mention its reputation as a reputation-trend-setter; notwithstanding its role in the spread of hipsters. Therefore, we hereby denote the reputation-first approach as “The Brooklyn Model”. Brooklyn has the people, the energy, the ambition, and the social sense to make this happen. It won’t be the only place it happens, but it may very well be the first and biggest.

The current denizens of the crypto sphere have a choice and a chance to make confronting honor breakdown a main goal, and shape honor centrism to reflect their views. If they prefer instead to cling to outdated forms of money, then honor centrism will be picked up by those who have different views. If and when they do and show it can work, then everyone will be even more shocked than after a freak election. Honorism is that powerful: it can invert ideologies into more effective versions of their rivals, even while reflecting and channeling their members’ values. Such a powerful idea and movement is to be ignored at one’s peril.