Andreas Antonopoulos announced publicly he’d paid down his debt and could finally get to the business of fully participating in the monetary movement he helped cultivate. This, in turn, caused some to remind others about the prudence of getting-in early when it comes to crypto assets. Mr. Antonopoulos further clarified his plight, detailing how the opportunity costs of keeping his bitcoin would’ve placed his family at financial risk. Rather than do that, he sold it all to stay afloat back in 2013. What happens next is a testimony to the generosity of bitcoiners, and the love our community has for the Greek citizen of the internet, with his Eddie Munster hairlines.
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Love for Our Own
Andreas Antonopoulos has gone through nearly all of the hundreds percentage bitcoin price increase without enjoying its spoils. Mr. Antonopoulos isn’t just some guy who missed out on the crypto gravy train. He’s arguably the most respected and influential personality in the decentralized currency world. That he, of all people, was toiling away to get above water in terms of personal finances came as a shock to many of his fans.
Faster than a bitcoin transaction confirmation, the pan-crypto community came to a sudden realization, albeit subconsciously: How did we let this happen?! Twitter raged. Reddit posse’d up. Mr. Antonopoulos’ bitcoin address (1andreas3batLhQa2FawWjeyjCqyBzypd) and Patreon account were flung to all reaches of cyberspace.
Inevitably, shrill and less-than nuanced voices attempted to turn love into a gross political statement, the kind of tribalism many feel at least exhaustion at if not outright contempt. One-upmanships were on full display. Those less inclined toward toddlerism sat back and became philosophical: Whatever. Make this about internal bitcoin politics if you wish. Just support Andreas Antonopoulos.
In Defense of Optimism
The man of the hour took to his Patreon account and wrote in homage to the community he loves in turn, titled In Defense of Optimism. To read it in its entirety, interested folk will have to unlock the content. And it would not be right to give too much away, as that is the point of the entire exercise (and this article). But it’s worth quoting at least a little.
He recounts responses from his Twitter exchanges: “Over the next several hours, tens, dozens, then hundreds of people responded. I sat reading the responses with tears in my eyes. An outpouring of positivity washed over me. People I have never met jumped to my defense, reminding me that they started their journey after watching my videos, or reading my books. Some people attacked the original criticism and its author (which I strongly discourage). But the vast majority focused on optimism,” he clarified.
“Today,” Mr. Antonopoulos continued, “I am even more focused on my goals: educate the next 10 million users. Train the next 10,000 developers. Do it all in every medium possible. Do it in more languages. Do it with more energy, with more passion. Do it with unrelenting optimism. In the end, my engine runs on hope, it runs on optimism. And today, it’s turbocharged.”
At press time, donations to Mr. Antonopoulos were nearing 700,000 USD, with at least one generous soul slapping down 37 bitcoin, or over 500,000 USD in one donation. Now that’s love. Here is the bitcoin address, if YOU also would like to donate a few satoshis to the great Bitcoin explainer.
Tell us your Andreas Antonopoulos’ stories in the comments below.
Images via Pixabay, Twitter.
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