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        <title>The Middle Path</title>
        <link>https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath</link>
        <description>The only articles that show you to prevent the two extremes of biasness and blatantness</description>
        <lastBuildDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 00:24:34 GMT</lastBuildDate>
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            <title>The Middle Path</title>
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            <title><![CDATA[What is Time? A Journey from Sandbox to Spacetime]]></title>
            <link>https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath/what-is-time</link>
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            <pubDate>Sun, 04 May 2025 12:09:13 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA["Time is a child playing with dice; the kingdom belongs to a child." — Heraclitus It’s what makes your ice cream melt, your birthday come closer, and your toys feel old. It’s the invisible river that moves everything, even when you sit still. But try to catch it—and it slips through your fingers.]]></description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p><em>"Time is a child playing with dice; the kingdom belongs to a child."</em> — Heraclitus</p></blockquote><p><strong>The Child’s Question: “What is time?”</strong></p><p>Time is what makes bedtime different from playtime. It’s what makes your ice cream melt, your birthday come closer, and your toys feel old. It’s the invisible river that moves everything, even when you sit still.</p><p>But try to catch it—and it slips through your fingers.</p><p><strong>The Clock and the Calendar</strong></p><p>As we grow, time becomes more... mechanical. Seconds tick, alarms ring, days pass. We learn to fear Mondays and long for Fridays. But these are human tools—clocks don’t measure time, they measure motion. And calendars don’t <em>know</em> the future—they mark it, like gravestones for moments we haven't yet lived.</p><p><strong>Newton’s Time vs Einstein’s Time</strong></p><p>Newton thought time was absolute—a godlike constant, marching on no matter what.</p><blockquote><p>Isaac Newton founded classical mechanics on the view that space is distinct from body and that time passes uniformly without regard to whether anything happens in the world. For this reason he spoke of absolute space and absolute time, so as to distinguish these entities from the various ways by which we measure them (which he called relative spaces and relative times). From antiquity into the eighteenth century, contrary views which denied that space and time are real entities maintained that the world is necessarily a material plenum. Credit: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="dont-break-out" href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/newton-stm/">Standford Encl.</a> ,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="dont-break-out" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_space_and_time">Wikipedia Ref</a></p></blockquote><p>Then came Einstein, who said: Not so fast.</p><p>He showed us that time bends, stretches, and slows. Near the speed of light, a second becomes an eternity. Time is relative to motion, to gravity, to you. (Time dilation) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="dont-break-out" href="https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/einstein/time">Einstein's Theory of Time</a></p><p>Two twins—one flies near a black hole, one stays home. They reunite, and one has aged less. Time is not a straight line. It's a tangled, curved fabric we call spacetime. Your heartbeat, your aging, your dying—woven into it.</p><p><strong>Quantum Time: Welcome to the Mind-Breaker Zone</strong></p><p>In the quantum world, particles don’t care about your clocks. They can be entangled across time and space. Cause and effect? Optional. Events might be simultaneous, or in reverse. Newtonian Mechanics don't work either.</p><p>At the Planck scale—time may not even exist. Some quantum physicists (e.g. Don Page and William Wootters) have developed a theory that time is actually an emergent phenomenon resulting from a strange quantum concept known as <strong>entanglement</strong>, in which different quantum particles effectively share an existence, even though physically separated, so that the quantum state of each particle can only be described relative to the other entangled particles.</p><figure float="none" data-type="figure" class="img-center" style="max-width: null;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/3ef22de427979a7c751b70048df6002e.png" blurdataurl="data:image/png;base64,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" nextheight="425" nextwidth="850" class="image-node embed"><figcaption htmlattributes="[object Object]" class="hide-figcaption"></figcaption></figure><p>There’s research (e.g., Carlo Rovelli’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="dont-break-out" href="https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9710008">"Loop Quantum Gravity"</a>) where time is not fundamental. Instead, change is primary. Time is just a way of describing relationships between changes.</p><p><strong>Biological Time: Your Body as a Clock</strong></p><p>Your cells don’t run on clocks—they run on rhythms. Circadian rhythms. Hormonal cycles. Memory is a biological form of time: the past encoded in neurons.</p><p>So yes, <em>you</em> are made of time. You are memory and decay. You are the countdown from birth to death.</p><p><strong>Metaphysics and Time: Where Words Break</strong></p><p>Here, we approach the edge where science meets silence.</p><p>In religion, God often exists outside time—eternal, changeless. But evil? Evil is rooted in events, in moments. Without time, there's no sin, no suffering, no redemption. So how can God be timeless and yet care about what happens?</p><p>This is the paradox of eternity intervening in the temporal.</p><p>In Hinduism and Buddhism, time is cyclical—Kalachakra, the Wheel of Time. Creation, preservation, destruction—repeating endlessly. In the Bible, “a thousand years are like a day to God.” And in Islam, the Day of Judgment collapses time into a single eternal reckoning.</p><figure float="none" data-type="figure" class="img-center" style="max-width: null;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/810cc4bda3ec5066483bb3cd8d2b9e70.png" 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nextheight="500" nextwidth="750" class="image-node embed"><figcaption htmlattributes="[object Object]" class="hide-figcaption"></figcaption></figure><p>Eternity is not infinite time. It's timelessness—and the human brain is not built to hold it.</p><p>We don’t experience time—we experience change.</p><p>But change hurts. People leave. Bodies age. Empires fall.</p><p>We grieve because time flows. And we love because it does. To love is to say, “Even though this will end, I will still give myself to it.”</p><blockquote><p>"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." — Gandalf (J.R.R. Tolkien - Lord of the Rings)</p></blockquote><p>And so, time is our greatest enemy—and our only stage.</p><p>We don’t experience time—we experience <em>change</em>.</p><p>But change hurts. People leave. Bodies age. Empires fall.</p><p>We grieve because time flows. And we love because it does. To love is to say, “Even though this will end, I will still give myself to it.”</p><blockquote><p><em>"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."</em> — Gandalf (Tolkien)</p></blockquote><p>And so, time is our greatest enemy—and our only stage.</p><p><strong>The God of the Gaps... or the Clockmaker in the Mirror?</strong></p><p>Maybe time is a script, and we are actors. Maybe it’s chaos, and we are dancers.</p><p>But here’s the kicker: <em>without memory, time doesn’t exist.</em></p><p>So perhaps time is not something <em>out there</em> at all. Perhaps it is <em>within us</em>—a measure not of the universe, but of consciousness itself.</p><p>That would mean: to be aware is to create time.</p><p>And in that case…<strong>You are the clock.</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
            <author>themiddlepath@newsletter.paragraph.com (Holonite)</author>
            <category>philosophy</category>
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        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[The Color Theory of Trust: Why Blue Dominates Crypto UI]]></title>
            <link>https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath/the-color-theory-of-trust-why-blue-dominates-crypto-ui</link>
            <guid>wlLMA9asdRt72UgrQrEx</guid>
            <pubDate>Sat, 19 Apr 2025 09:10:12 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[You open a crypto wallet. You visit a DEX. You sign in to a staking platform. What do you see? Blue. Always blue. Everywhere. But why?]]></description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You open a crypto wallet.<br>You visit a DEX.<br>You sign in to a staking platform.</p><p>What do you see?</p><p><strong>Blue. Always blue. Everywhere.</strong></p><hr><h2 id="h-blue-trust-calm-authority" class="text-3xl font-header"><span data-name="bullseye" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🎯</span><strong> Blue = Trust, Calm, Authority</strong></h2><p>In color psychology, <strong>blue represents trust, stability, and intelligence</strong>. It subconsciously signals "safety" to our primal brain.<br>This isn’t by chance. It's calculated design.</p><blockquote><p><span data-name="bulb" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">💡</span> <em>Elliot &amp; Maier (2012)</em>: Blue tones reduce anxiety and increase willingness to make digital decisions.</p></blockquote><p>In the chaotic, volatile world of Web3—blue is the <strong>interface equivalent of Xanax</strong>.</p><p>Designers aren't just making things pretty. They're <strong>calming your inner caveman</strong> just enough to click "Confirm".</p><hr><h2 id="h-ux-or-behavioral-programming" class="text-3xl font-header"><span data-name="dna" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🧬</span><strong> UX or Behavioral Programming?</strong></h2><p>We're not designing buttons—we're <strong>programming trust</strong>.</p><blockquote><p><em>"What we see determines how we think. What we think determines how we act."</em><br>— Edward Bernays (the original PR puppeteer)</p></blockquote><p><span data-name="small_blue_diamond" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🔹</span> Blue = Safe<br><span data-name="red_circle" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🔴</span> Red = Risk<br><span data-name="orange_circle" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🟠</span> Neon Gradient = Probably a rug</p><p><strong>Color has become the user's moral compass.</strong></p><hr><h2 id="h-milgram-in-the-metamask" class="text-3xl font-header"><span data-name="brain" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🧠</span><strong> Milgram in the Metamask</strong></h2><p>Remember Milgram’s obedience experiment?<br>People followed morally questionable orders from people in white lab coats.</p><p>Now replace the lab coat with a <strong>blue UI.</strong></p><p>People sign transactions, stake tokens, and lock liquidity for months—because <strong>the interface "feels" trustworthy.</strong></p><blockquote><p><em>Design has become the new authority figure.</em></p></blockquote><hr><h2 id="h-crypto-preaches-trustlessness-then-paints-in-blue" class="text-3xl font-header"><span data-name="scales" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">⚖</span><strong> Crypto Preaches Trustlessness... Then Paints in Blue?</strong></h2><p>Web3 claims to eliminate the need for trust—yet its interfaces scream <em>"You can trust me!"</em> in hex code.</p><p>Designers must now ask themselves:</p><ul><li><p>Am I calming or <strong>controlling</strong>?</p></li><li><p>Is my UI an <strong>honest representation</strong>, or a <strong>veneer of legitimacy</strong>?</p></li><li><p>Is blue my default because it <strong>works</strong>, or because I <strong>never questioned it</strong>?</p></li></ul><blockquote><p><em>"He who cannot obey himself will be commanded."</em> — Nietzsche<br>Designers: you’re either the <strong>commander of perception</strong>, or its pawn.</p></blockquote><hr><h2 id="h-what-now" class="text-3xl font-header"><span data-name="paintbrush" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🖌</span><strong> What Now?</strong></h2><p>Maybe it's time we stop defaulting to blue.</p><p>Experiment. Disturb. Evolve.</p><p>Design isn't about looking safe—it’s about being <strong>real</strong>.</p><p>Let your design <strong>say something</strong>—not just <strong>sell something</strong>.</p><hr><h3 id="h-want-more-like-this" class="text-2xl font-header"><span data-name="loudspeaker" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">📢</span><strong> Want More Like This?</strong></h3><p>Subscribe if you want a deeper dive into:</p><ul><li><p>Archetypal design in token logos</p></li><li><p>Slot-machine UX in crypto staking platforms</p></li><li><p>Designing for degens (and their dopamine)</p></li></ul><p>Or challenge this post. That’s what makes us better.</p><p>Stay sharp, stay skeptical, and <strong>don’t trust a color—trust the code.</strong></p><div data-type="subscribeButton" class="center-contents"><a class="email-subscribe-button" href="https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath/memberships">Subscribe</a></div><br>]]></content:encoded>
            <author>themiddlepath@newsletter.paragraph.com (Holonite)</author>
            <category>ux/ui</category>
            <category>metamask</category>
            <category>interfaces</category>
            <enclosure url="https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/6e84636b2d5b483d71d58e652d010c6b.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpg"/>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Newton’s Crypto Apple: The Secret Law of Bitcoin]]></title>
            <link>https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath/the-secret-law-of-bitcoin</link>
            <guid>Oj2c6st7BYIDUwatPFAc</guid>
            <pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 14:37:35 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Isaac Newton sat beneath the famous apple tree, pondering the mysteries of the universe. As legend has it, an apple bonked him on the head, leading to his discovery of gravity. What the history books don’t tell you is that this wasn’t any ordinary apple. Read on to find it all.]]></description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Isaac Newton sat beneath the famous apple tree, pondering the mysteries of the universe. As legend has it, an apple bonked him on the head, leading to his discovery of gravity.</p><p>What the history books don’t tell you is that this wasn’t any ordinary apple—as Newton rubbed his head, he noticed something strange: a series of numbers glowing on the apple’s skin.</p><p>"1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8... What is this sorcery?" he muttered, unknowingly gazing at the Fibonacci sequence, a fundamental pattern in cryptography.</p><p>Just then, a mysterious hooded figure emerged from the shadows. "Sir Newton," the stranger said, "You have been chosen. You must discover the hidden laws of Bitcoin!"</p><p>"Bit…coin? What devilry is this?" Newton asked.</p><p>The stranger pulled out a parchment titled <strong>The White Paper</strong> and handed it to Newton. "It is a decentralized system beyond the control of kings and treasuries. You, Sir, must prepare the world!"</p><p>Newton, ever the scientist, decided to analyze Bitcoin through his famous three laws of motion. And thus, Bitcoin’s destiny was written into physics itself.</p><h2 id="h-newtons-first-law-the-law-of-hodl" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Newton’s First Law: The Law of HODL</strong></h2><p><em>"An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an external force."</em> <strong>Bitcoin maximalists saw this as the first fundamental law of HODLing.</strong></p><p>A Bitcoin at rest <strong>(HODL'd in a cold wallet)</strong> remains at rest unless acted upon by the external force of FOMO or financial desperation. A Bitcoin in motion <strong>(traded on an exchange)</strong> remains in motion unless stopped by the force of a massive market crash or a bad tweet from Elon Musk.</p><p>Newton realized that in a perfect world, if everyone HODL'd, Bitcoin would never lose value—but then no one would use it. He scratched his head. "There must be balance…"</p><h2 id="h-newtons-second-law-the-lightning-network-boost" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Newton’s Second Law: The Lightning Network Boost</strong></h2><p><em>"Force = Mass x Acceleration"</em> Newton saw that Bitcoin transactions were slow, and he predicted that scalability would be an issue.</p><p>"So," he thought, "If the force of Bitcoin adoption is high, but the mass of transactions grows too large, acceleration will slow!"</p><p>Solution? <strong>The Lightning Network!</strong> He scribbled on a parchment:</p><p><span data-name="fire" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🔥</span> Force = Bitcoin Users x Lightning Transactions <span data-name="fire" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🔥</span></p><p>With Lightning, small transactions accelerate, and Bitcoin doesn't clog up like a medieval bank. Newton nodded, pleased. "I shall call this... <strong>Layer 2 Physics!</strong>"</p><h2 id="h-newtons-third-law-the-law-of-fud-and-fomo" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Newton’s Third Law: The Law of FUD &amp; FOMO</strong></h2><p><em>"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."</em></p><p>Newton was astounded when he realized this applied perfectly to crypto markets: For every wave of FOMO, there is an equal and opposite wave of FUD. For every bull run, there is an equal and opposite bear market. For every ‘Bitcoin is a scam’ article, there is an equal and opposite ‘Bitcoin to $1,000,000!’ prediction. Newton sighed, realizing that humans are trapped in this endless cycle.</p><p>"But if only," he whispered, "they understood the equilibrium of markets, they would HODL in peace!"</p><h2 id="h-the-final-revelation-satoshis-apple" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>The Final Revelation: Satoshi’s Apple</strong></h2><p>Just as Newton finished writing his crypto theories, the mysterious figure returned. "You have done well, Sir Newton," the stranger said. "Your laws shall guide Bitcoiners for centuries. But there is one last thing…" The figure pulled back his hood to reveal his identity. It was… Satoshi Nakamoto! Newton gasped. "Are you a wizard?" Satoshi grinned. "No, just a developer who really loves privacy."</p><p>He tossed Newton the apple, which now displayed a single glowing inscription:</p><p><strong>"Proof of Work = Energy Spent to Discover the Truth."</strong></p><p>With that, Satoshi vanished into the blockchain forever, leaving Newton to ponder the greatest mystery of all: Was Bitcoin truly just physics… or magic?</p><h2 id="h-epilogue-the-hidden-code" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Epilogue: The Hidden Code</strong></h2><p>Centuries later, a group of quantum Bitcoin miners discovered a hidden message embedded in the laws of motion. When decrypted, it read: <span data-name="bulb" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">💡</span><strong> "E = mc² but also BTC = Future. Cheers, Sir Isaac."</strong> And so, the greatest mind in physics had secretly been the first Bitcoiner all along. <span data-name="rocket" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🚀</span></p>]]></content:encoded>
            <author>themiddlepath@newsletter.paragraph.com (Holonite)</author>
            <category>bitcoin</category>
            <enclosure url="https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/cc924fe5c6a6fd6caf9239611214bc56.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpg"/>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[How God ruined Bitcoin for me]]></title>
            <link>https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath/how-god-ruined-bitcoin-for-me</link>
            <guid>z0PcpefEbYuCi9bzBs7K</guid>
            <pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 14:29:23 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Do you believe evil exists?
Objective evil. Not moral relativism. Are there things we can actually know are evil, regardless of opinion, in the same way we can know that 2+2=4?]]></description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2 id="h-do-you-believe-evil-exists" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Do you believe evil exists?</strong></h2><p>Objective evil. Not moral relativism. Are there things we can actually know are evil, regardless of opinion, in the same way we can know that 2+2=4?</p><p>One of the realizations I came to through my dive down the Bitcoin rabbit hole was the <em>reality</em> of evil. And as I plan to share in greater detail, led me to the reality of Satan, the reality of good, and thus the reality of God.</p><p>Of course, I've always had a sense or morality. But upon closer inspection of my own reasoning: How was I to determine what makes something intrinsically bad, wrong, and evil in the first place? There are many reasons why we can reason that murder is wrong, but there are plenty of civilizations throughout history that reasoned why it was just fine. Who are any of us to determine which worldview was good, and which one was evil?</p><p>If you insist that it's because murder introduces suffering and prevents human flourishing, then I still raise the same question: how are we to determine that suffering is <em>inherently bad</em>, and human flourishing <em>good</em>?</p><p>Trying to wrap my head around these concepts led me to face the fact that maybe there is a universal moral law out there, and thus a lawgiver, a judge--someone to write the rules and define the penalties for breaking them. Otherwise, if existence is only a great cosmic dance of rearranging molecules, ascribing value or morality to anything is mere subjectivity.</p><p>One person who I think actually carried out this worldview logically, consistently, and literally is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="dont-break-out" href="https://tfn.org/jeffrey-dahmer-believed-in-evolution/">Jeffrey Dahmer</a>: <em>“If a person doesn’t think that there is a God to be accountable to, then what’s the point of trying to modify your behavior to keep it within acceptable ranges? That’s how I thought anyway. I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we died, you know, that was it, there was nothing….”</em></p><p>But there's something undeniably sinister about the reality of fiat money. In the same way there was something undeniably sinister about Dahmer, about Stalin, etc. Facing the reality of the harm that inflation is plaguing the world with is downright shocking, heartbreaking, and debilitating. The more time you're left to dwell on it, the more dreadful its reality becomes.</p><p>Left with no alternative, no solution, no way out, it should come as no surprise how today's world bears rotten fruit of skyrocketing anxiety, depression, and worse outcomes..</p><p>What is it within me that associates these fruits with negativity though? Is it thousands of years of stacked up moral relativism; a result of trial and error that's fine tuned my opinions on what's right and wrong? Or is the fact that we as humans even undergo this great quest of moral discovery evidence of the God who wrote that instinct onto our hearts?</p><p><em>"Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? Your rich men are full of violence; your inhabitants speak lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. Therefore, I have begun to destroy you, to ruin you because of your sins." </em><strong><em>Micah 6:11-13</em></strong></p><p>In light of all of this logical reasoning, I came to believe that objective good and evil do exist, and that there are arbiters of both working behind the scenes: God and Satan. Angels and demons. A grand spiritual battle taking place; an invisible layer of reality that suddenly became vividly clear to me. Taking place at all times within our economic systems, political systems, education, media, advertisements, movies, music, relationships, and most importantly our minds.</p><figure float="none" data-type="figure" class="img-center" style="max-width: null;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f2196549851a728906320c05fefdbaf0.jpg" blurdataurl="data:image/png;base64,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" nextheight="1024" nextwidth="1536" class="image-node embed"><figcaption htmlattributes="[object Object]" class="hide-figcaption"></figcaption></figure><p><em>You know how some bugs can </em><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="dont-break-out" href="https://askabiologist.asu.edu/colors-animals-see"><em>see colors</em></a><em> that range further down the spectrum, that are invisible to the human eye? That's kind of how I imagine this battle between good and evil taking place: present everywhere, but only discernable with eyes to see and ears to hear.</em></p><p><em>"For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." </em><strong><em>Matthew 9:15-17</em></strong></p><h2 id="h-bitcoin-a-step-down-the-rabbit-hole-of-truth" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Bitcoin: A step down the rabbit hole of Truth</strong></h2><p>Most, if not everyone, on this platform rallies behind bitcoin because we recognize the loud, yet silent plea for help the world is looking for. We see such an all-encompassing problem, and have identified an all-encompassing solution. We can't help but feel a desire to share it with as many people as we can (that is...until the jaded reality sets in of realizing how few people put two and two together, leading even Satoshi to say he didn't have the time to convince if people don't get it).</p><p>It's funny how many parallels there are between the discovery of bitcoin and of God. So many that it (at first) led me to idolize the former as if it was the latter! And I've seen the same heresy from prominent bitcoin voices like Max Keiser, who literally <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="dont-break-out" href="https://x.com/maxkeiser/status/1906431829046882386">claims</a> that bitcoin <em>is</em> God.</p><p>The pursuit of truth is something that connects all bitcoiners. We all have that in common. But for some (as it once was for me), I fear that discovering bitcoin can prematurely stunt the pursuit of "enlightenment", falsely believing that you've identified the ultimate "savior" that our souls are searching for. As if coming to terms with bitcoin means there's no further inquiry needed.</p><p>It's a dangerous position to be in--placing money as the ultimate savior for your life. God warns us of this directly:</p><p><em>"For the </em><strong><em>love</em></strong><em> of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." </em><strong><em>1 Timothy 6:10</em></strong></p><p>One of the biggest realizations I've had on my spiritual walk is that worship is intrinsic to human nature. <strong><em>Everyone worships something</em></strong>. And worship doesn't have to look like singing songs--it's how we respond to that which we place as authority in our lives. And as God tells us in <strong>Exodus 20:4-5</strong>, <em>"You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."</em></p><p>Ask yourself: What is it that I am worshipping?</p><p>If we're not fully focused on channeling our worship towards God, we are destined to destroy ourselves. That's why God is jealous; because of his authentic love for us. If we are to accept that the all knowing God exists, we must concede that his ways for us are infinitely better than our own.</p><h2 id="h-god-the-end-of-the-rabbit-hole" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>God: The end of the rabbit hole</strong></h2><figure float="none" data-type="figure" class="img-center" style="max-width: null;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/63de99cc71280087f6a51ecbde82a2e6.jpg" blurdataurl="data:image/png;base64,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" nextheight="403" nextwidth="403" class="image-node embed"><figcaption htmlattributes="[object Object]" class="hide-figcaption"></figcaption></figure><p>As I'll have to elaborate in a future post, <strong>not all truth is created equal</strong>. The truth of bitcoin can bring you comfort about the financial future, but fully coming to terms with what bitcoin is up against can equally lead to feelings of fear, despair, and dread. I suspect many bitcoiners' motives for loving bitcoin, more than many would care to admit, are rooted in <em>fear</em> rather than <em>hope</em>.</p><p>Bitcoin is a light at the end of the tunnel, but one that comes with many caveats: you have to make it out of fiat's fallout unscathed. A big if, and not one you can fully trust in without puffing up pride, masked as "preparedness", within yourself.</p><p>On the other hand, the truth of God brings peace. Truth, believe it or not, is a literal person. <em>"Jesus answered, “I am the way and </em><strong><em>the truth</em></strong><em> and the life." </em><strong><em>John 14:6</em></strong></p><p>He is the light at the end of the tunnel you can trust in fully. Dead or alive, you can navigate life knowing where you'll end up after all is said and done. Just operating under this mentality has been transformative for my life: fear, worry, and anxiety melt away, freeing my mind to approach any and all situations with confidence in someone greater than myself, knowing He will have my back through it all.</p><p>God truly is the end of the rabbit hole. He's the discovery that brings <em>closure</em> to the seemingly endless pursuit of truth. I encourage anyone on that same pursuit: Do not stop at bitcoin. Keep pushing, with humility always.</p><p>So, how has God "ruined" bitcoin for me?</p><h2 id="h-biblical-prophecy-how-do-we-reconcile-gods-future-with-bitcoin" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Biblical prophecy: How do we reconcile God's future with bitcoin?</strong></h2><p><em>As I'm writing this, more and more thoughts keep bubbling to the surface. So much to talk about here...</em></p><p>I strongly believe any bitcoiners looking for a place to start with God should read into biblical prophecy. Looking <em>through a prophetic lens</em> at geopolitical tensions, the brewing of a global financial surveillance state, and everything else bitcoiners are tuned into feels like having the final puzzle piece to complete the whole picture. Not only can you understand why everything is taking place, but you can <em>know</em> what's to come next. Not speculate. <em>Know</em>. (That is, assuming you've accepted the Bible as the literal Word of God).</p><p>God wants us to understand the future. He doesn't want to keep us in the dark, he wants to keep us focused on him. With the knowledge he gives you, but without the relationship with him, you'll end up a doomsday prepper. By contrast, walking with God in the wake of what's to transpire drives <strong>agency</strong> to live for him; to feel emboldened to spread God's word, because you understand how <strong>urgent</strong> the mission at hand is.</p><p>And the mission? To get everyone aboard the ark. The ark being <strong>Jesus</strong>, <em>not</em> bitcoin. And the flood to come being everything that bitcoiners are keenly aware of: AI, CBDCs, and the woes of fiat that bitcoiners are constantly warning about.</p><p>Believe it or not, these things are touched on directly in the Bible, multiple times:</p><p><em>“Then I saw a second beast, </em><strong><em>coming out of the earth</em></strong><em>. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. </em><strong><em>It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark</em></strong><em>, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.” </em><strong><em>Revelation 13:16-17</em></strong></p><p>Throughout Scripture, there are many warnings about the Antichrist, the "first beast"--a real, literal person, prophesied to appear and "save the world" from calamity (*at the expense of humanity's salvation)--and his surveillance state that our world is barreling towards today. The "second beast" appears to be the agent of the Antichrist--a "sidekick" to "perform on behalf of the first beast."</p><p>I can't help but notice the parallel between the Antichrist's ability to control buying and selling with the very function today's CBDCs are being introduced for.</p><p>I can't help but notice the parallel between the second beast (the "image") and the emergence of AI--a technology that most gaze at today with innocence and wonder, like a lamb, yet, as many bitcoiners can already tell, is a dragon with fierce power.</p><p>I read all of this, look at the world, and can't help but deduce that the first human to effectively wield AI will become the (second) most powerful man to ever live. A bastardization of Jesus's miracle working, relying on a second beast <strong><em>coming out of the earth</em></strong>, not heaven, to perform "miraculous" wonders that garner trust from the people. Finding cures to cancer, unlocking new scientific discovery, raising a holographic Jimi Hendrix from the dead to play new music at a live concert--you get the idea.</p><p><strong>As a bitcoiner who believes in biblical prophecy, how do you reconcile the future knowing that, before bitcoin can work full scale, CBDC dystopia could reign supreme first?</strong></p><p>As I grappled with the reality of bitcoin, as I’m sure many of you have experienced, the scale and scope of what bitcoin can do just seems to grow larger and larger. But at the same time, that to me indicates that the scale and scope of the enemy it’s up against is equally significant.</p><p>The future "hyperbitcoinized" world seems to be a world with freedom that we can’t possibly comprehend, no matter how many Breedlove podcasts we listen to—<em>perhaps as if it’s the currency of God’s millennial reign on Earth, following the 7-year tribulation in which the Antichrist assumes domain</em> (That's just personal speculation though).</p><p>Have I lost you yet? Probably. But for those still tracking, I want to ask you: Are you tuned into the same prophetic timeline I’m referring to? Do you see things playing out differently?</p><p>Regardless of the future for bitcoin, it seems that believers of Christ, if we’re respecting God’s prophecy, <strong>have to concede that bitcoin’s promise may very well “fail” before it works</strong>. Perhaps all the red flags bitcoiners are raising--governments getting in bed with bitcoin, ETFs, Tradfi's subversion of Satoshi's vision--speak to this reality. Though not permanent, it could be the reality we face first, before God breaks the chains and lets hyperbitcoinization run free.</p><p>I've come to believe that I likely won't be around for the prosperity bitcoin suggests. But that doesn't mean I have to forgo pushing for bitcoin adoption. It's a primary tool for combatting Satan's plan, and I feel all the more empowered to fight knowing that it's a spiritual war I'm fighting in.</p><h2 id="h-championing-bitcoin-as-a-warrior-for-truth" class="text-3xl font-header"><strong>Championing bitcoin as a warrior for truth</strong></h2><p><em>"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." </em><strong><em>Ephesians 6:11-13</em></strong></p><p>We all have heard it before: "Bitcoiners came for the money, and stayed for the revolution."</p><p>Now walking with God, the money aspect has truly never mattered less, and the revolution aspect has never mattered more. We carry the Bitcoin torch not out of personal gain, but out of alignment and commitment to the truth. We want to stand behind the forces for good, not evil. Now with the belief that there are literal spiritual armies behind these forces, how can I lay down the torch and capitulate out of a lack of "reward" here on earth?</p><p><em>"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." </em><strong><em>Matthew 6:19-21</em></strong></p><p>God does not want us to be bystanders on the sideline, sitting with our ticket waiting to catch a bus ride to heaven. He wants us actively fighting in this war, fighting for truth, and not making peace with evil. Like our human bodies, the body of Christ's Church has many different functions. However we are best equipped to participate in this fight, we should be giving it our all.</p><p>With the knowledge in bitcoin that we do have, let's ensure that we're not letting it go to waste. Let's use it for God's glory instead of our own.</p>]]></content:encoded>
            <author>themiddlepath@newsletter.paragraph.com (Holonite)</author>
            <category>theology</category>
            <category>bitcoin</category>
            <enclosure url="https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1870b7ec9a32f0c3ccf193832417cf37.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpg"/>
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            <title><![CDATA[The DegenVault White Paper]]></title>
            <link>https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath/the-degenvault-white-paper</link>
            <guid>8rLSQbSrQ8V0OeVIjlfh</guid>
            <pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2025 07:45:17 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The DegenVault is a series of 5 meme tokens (CeasefireCoin - $IDFvsHAM, ,NPCoin - $NPC, ElonomicsCoin - $ELONOMICS, WokeCoin - $WOKE, DeportCoin - $GOBACK)]]></description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<h4 id="h-1-introduction" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>1. Introduction</strong></h4><p><strong>The DegenVault </strong>is a series of 5 meme tokens (<strong>CeasefireCoin - $IDFvsHAM, ,NPCoin - $NPC, ElonomicsCoin - $ELONOMICS, WokeCoin - $WOKE, DeportCoin - $GOBACK) </strong>I created on the <strong>Polygon ($MATIC)</strong>&nbsp;blockchain to have fun and maybe make some money.</p><p>This isn’t about utility, it’s about the ride. No promises—just a deflationary token with regular burns. If you play the market right, you could profit. If not, at least you got in on something chaotic.</p><p>The <strong>DegenVault </strong>collection includes:</p><p><strong>CeasefireCoin ($IDFvsHAM)</strong>&nbsp;– Price goes up or down depending on Middle East peace talks. Probably the most volatile asset in history.</p><br><p><strong>NPCoin ($NPC)</strong>&nbsp;– Rewards users for repeating the most viral political talking points, regardless of facts. Staking requires only engagement, not intelligence.</p><br><p><strong>ElonomicsCoin ($ELONOMICS)</strong>&nbsp;– Moves based on Musk’s tweets and lawsuits. If he beefs with the SEC or fires someone at X, the price moons.</p><br><p><strong>WokeCoin ($WOKE)</strong>&nbsp;– Market cap depends on corporate virtue signaling. Price crashes when a company gets exposed for hypocrisy.</p><br><p><strong>DeportCoin ($GOBACK)</strong>&nbsp;– Tied to immigration policy debates. Spikes every time a politician mentions “border crisis.”</p><br><p><em>*disclaimer- tokens will not crash or moon based on the descriptions, only by what the holders do and how the market is moving</em></p><hr><br><h4 id="h-2-the-concept" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>2. The Concept</strong></h4><p><strong>What’s the Point?</strong></p><p><strong><br></strong>I started the<strong>&nbsp;DegenVault </strong>because we need tokens for those who identify based. If you enjoy the unpredictability and speculation that comes with meme coins, join us. It’s simple: hold, wait for burns, and watch the market. If you make smart moves, you might profit.</p><hr><br><h4 id="h-" class="text-xl font-header"></h4><h4 id="h-3-tokenomics" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>3. Tokenomics</strong></h4><ul><li><p><strong>Total Supply</strong>: <strong>[1,000,000,000,000 per token]</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Burn Mechanism</strong>:</p></li></ul><ul><li><p><strong>Milestone Burns</strong>: Occasionally tokens will be burned at key milestones to reduce supply. These milestones will be based on the news and tweets, per the tokens description at random.</p></li><li><p><strong>Deflationary Burns</strong>: I’ll perform burns to decrease the total supply over time by a small percentage of each transaction fee (0.02%). By burning 0.02% of tokens per transaction, it will take a long time for significant amounts to be removed from circulation, keeping the market stable.</p></li><li><br></li></ul><h3 id="h-total-breakdown-allocation" class="text-2xl font-header"><strong>Total Breakdown Allocation:</strong></h3><ul><li><p><strong>Founder: 25%</strong></p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Locked for 1–2 years: 12%</p></li><li><p>Unvested/unlocked: 13%</p></li></ul><br><ul><li><p><strong>Community &amp; Liquidity: 75%</strong></p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Locked portion for future liquidity/community: 50%</p></li><li><p>Available for trading/public sale: 25%</p></li></ul><br><p><strong>Founder Fee:</strong>&nbsp;0.02% fee taken on every transaction and sent to the founder’s address for marketing and operational fees.</p><p><strong>Minting:</strong>&nbsp;Lifetime minting limit set to 250,000 tokens. No immediate plans to mint anything, but I may for drops in the future.</p><p><strong>Dynamic Burn Trigger:</strong>&nbsp;When 300,000 unique holders are reached, 4% of the total supply is burned.</p><br><hr><br><h4 id="h-4-how-it-works" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>4. How It Works</strong></h4><p><strong>Holding Tokens</strong>:</p><p>Buy and hold <strong>CeasefireCoin ($IDFvsHAM)</strong>, <strong>NPCoin ($NPC)</strong>, <strong>ElonomicsCoin ($ELONOMICS)</strong>, <strong>WokeCoin ($WOKE)</strong>, or <strong>DeportCoin ($GOBACK)</strong>. There’s no official strategy, but if you want to make money, pay attention to the burns and the market. If you’re quick enough, you might make a solid move.</p><p><strong>Burns</strong>:</p><p><br>I’ll be burning tokens at different points in the project—both milestone and deflationary burns. As the supply drops, the value of the remaining tokens may increase. I’ll announce all burns on <strong>X (formerly Twitter)</strong>, so keep an eye out.</p><hr><br><h4 id="h-5-no-rug-pull" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>5. No Rug Pull</strong></h4><p>I’m not here to scam anyone. The <strong>DegenVault</strong>&nbsp;has some dignity despite being a series of shitcoins. I’ll keep it transparent- there’s no rug pull planned. You’ll always know what’s going on with the burns and token movement. Track the supply, the burns, and everything else as I go.</p><hr><br><h4 id="h-6-roadmap" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>6. Roadmap</strong></h4><p><strong>2025 Q1</strong>:</p><ul><li><p>Launch the token</p></li><li><p>First Milestone Burn</p></li></ul><p><strong>2025 Q2</strong>:</p><ul><li><p>Announce regular burns</p></li><li><p>Continue with deflationary burns</p></li></ul><p><strong>2025 Q3</strong>:</p><ul><li><p>Ongoing burns</p></li><li><p>Keep the market engaged and active</p></li></ul><hr><br><h4 id="h-7-community" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>7. Community</strong></h4><p>While there’s no governance or promises to involve the community in decision-making, I’ll still keep you updated through <strong>X (formerly Twitter)</strong>. I’ll announce burns and milestones and engage with the community as the project evolves, and who knows- maybe this might be the start of something special.</p><hr><br><h4 id="h-8-legal-disclaimer" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>8. Legal Disclaimer</strong></h4><p>These tokens are just for meme purposes. There’s no guarantee of profit or any utility. You’re involved at your own risk. Make sure to do your own research before making any decisions. Burns will reduce the total supply, but the market will move how it moves.</p><hr><br><h4 id="h-9-conclusion" class="text-xl font-header"><strong>9. Conclusion</strong></h4><p><strong>The DegenVault</strong>&nbsp;is a series of tokens built for fun and speculation. I’m not here to change the world, just to offer something to ride the waves with. If you time it right, you could see some profit. If not, at least you got to be part of the chaos. Keep an eye on the burns, and let’s see where this goes.</p>]]></content:encoded>
            <author>themiddlepath@newsletter.paragraph.com (Holonite)</author>
            <category>memecoin</category>
            <category>degenvault</category>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Web3 Is Not a Revolution — It’s a Renaissance in Disguise]]></title>
            <link>https://paragraph.com/@themiddlepath/web3-not-a-revolution</link>
            <guid>4yTWFEP9ExTB67hXk2St</guid>
            <pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2025 06:16:48 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[“Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being.” — Albert Camus.
What are your thoughts on Web3?]]></description>
            <content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p><em>“Every act of rebellion expresses a nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being.”</em><br>— Albert Camus</p></blockquote><p>Web3 doesn’t want to break the system. It wants to <strong>remake it</strong> — pixel by pixel, protocol by protocol. Unlike revolutions that burn the old to raise the new, Web3 acts more like a <strong>digital renaissance</strong>, breathing life into an internet that’s grown too centralized, too commodified, too… obedient.</p><p>We are not just witnessing the rise of new technologies. We’re witnessing the <strong>re-decentralization of power</strong> — economic, social, and even spiritual.</p><hr><h3 id="h-web2-the-comfortably-numb-era" class="text-2xl font-header"><span data-name="dna" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🧬</span> <strong>Web2: The Comfortably Numb Era</strong></h3><p>Web2 promised participation, but delivered platforms.</p><p>Creators built audiences only to rent them back through ads. Users uploaded their lives to feeds that turned their attention into profit. The illusion of agency was real enough to distract — but never enough to liberate.</p><p>Edward Bernays would be proud. Manipulation had matured into UX.</p><hr><h3 id="h-web3-sovereignty-as-a-service" class="text-2xl font-header"><span data-name="jigsaw" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🧩</span> <strong>Web3: Sovereignty as a Service</strong></h3><p>Web3 enters not as a savior, but as a system that <strong>rewards sovereignty</strong>. With wallets replacing accounts, DAOs replacing org charts, and tokens replacing ad revenue, the shift is not just technological — it’s philosophical.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Own your data.</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Govern your platform.</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Monetize your value.</strong></p></li></ul><p>It’s not about decentralization for its own sake. It’s about <strong>reclaiming lost intimacy with value</strong> — how we create it, share it, and spend it.</p><hr><h3 id="h-daos-the-new-republics" class="text-2xl font-header"><span data-name="classical_building" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🏛</span> <strong>DAOs: The New Republics</strong></h3><p>DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) are modern-day republics with smart contracts as their constitutions. But let’s not get poetic without caution: many DAOs are Discord cults with multisig wallets and memes as legislation.</p><p>Still, as per the <em>Milgram Experiment</em>, when you remove centralized authority, people often act more ethically, more collaboratively. DAOs tap into that — a cooperative model governed not by fiat, but by code and consensus.</p><hr><h3 id="h-the-aphoristic-core" class="text-2xl font-header"><span data-name="bomb" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">💣</span> The Aphoristic Core:</h3><blockquote><p><em>“He who has a why can bear almost any how.”</em> — Nietzsche<br>Web3 gives the <strong>why</strong>: self-sovereignty, transparency, and ownership.<br>The <strong>how</strong> is still messy — gas fees, hacks, failed protocols — but it’s a fight worth having.</p></blockquote><hr><h3 id="h-exit-the-matrix-or-at-least-lease-it-differently" class="text-2xl font-header"><span data-name="door" class="emoji" data-type="emoji">🚪</span> Exit the Matrix (or At Least Lease It Differently)</h3><p>Web3 isn’t perfect. But then again, neither was the Renaissance — full of egos, wars, and misinterpretations. But it brought back <strong>meaning</strong>. It made the individual important again.</p><p>So let’s not call Web3 a revolution. That would be too crude, too fast.</p><p>Let’s call it a <strong>renaissance with code instead of canvases</strong>, wallets instead of war chests, and memes instead of manifestos.</p>]]></content:encoded>
            <author>themiddlepath@newsletter.paragraph.com (Holonite)</author>
            <category>bitcoin</category>
            <category>blockchain</category>
            <category>web3</category>
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