A letter to blockchain enthusiasts: Stop touting blockchain, and develop practical use cases to solve user needs is the right path

Blockchain enthusiasts, listen up! I understand…

I know you are fascinated by blockchain technology and its potential. So am I! With this technology, I can transfer information and value from one corner of the world to anywhere else. The whole process can be completed in seconds after verification, and it is cheap, very secure, and there is no middleman who can "abuse" his power. The technology itself is an advancement. There are a lot of great people working on it.

I understand that you have high hopes for the application of blockchain technology. It can compete with traditional banking and dismantle the corrupt fiat currency system; it can be used to finance political activities and block unknown sources of income; it is a new business model in which companies participating do not have to worry about tax issues, thus avoiding excessive government power. Your goals are noble and I agree with your views.

I know you are very smart and willing to fight for what you believe in. Many of you have given up a lot to achieve this goal and value: your career, your friends, and a comfortable life. Some of you have even been imprisoned because your work threatened the status of the government, but in fact, they did no harm at all. Although I cannot make such a great sacrifice, I sympathize with them and understand their situation. After all, I myself gave up friends and a stable life just to change the world.

I know you are on the side of justice.

But you also have to understand one thing...

The world does not need your freedom.

Only when you fully understand this, can blockchain technology be widely accepted. The truth is cruel. Most people don't care whether they can enjoy the freedom you pursue, and they will not pay any price for this freedom. They just want security and stability, which are very precious in today's world. In addition, the global economic situation is becoming more and more complicated, and more and more jobs are being replaced by computers, robots and other intelligent devices. These people are about to lose their source of income, and their future is full of uncertainty. It's really terrible!

Therefore, there is no doubt that this group of people will support those who promise to help them solve their problems, either by creating jobs or by protecting their interests. As for the specific methods, it is another matter.

Take Trump (US presidential candidate) as an example.

I use him as an example because you have a visceral reaction to hearing his name, and it is easier to develop my point: You cannot persuade these people to abandon their values. Even preaching will not work. No amount of articles, talks, data, facts, or pleas will help, because there are only two outcomes for choosing Trump: success or failure. If they succeed, they will make a fortune; even if they fail, it will not affect them at all, because they are at the end of their rope and have nothing to lose.

Before you pat yourself on the back for your noble sentiments and foresight to "see it all before it all happened," consider this. They are right to be worried about their livelihoods. That is the heart of the matter. Due to years of inflationary monetary policy, rising government spending, expensive foreign wars, a highly fragile and dependent financial system, and massive tax pressures, our economy is in the worst shape since the Great Depression. Guess who is the direct victim? Working Americans. Millions of Americans are out of work and living on government food stamps and social safety nets. And you think it is foolish and ineffective to ask a politician to solve these problems. Unless you have been "betrayed" by the system, you are not qualified to make such a judgment.

This leads to my second point: the public’s distrust of politicians and the media is actually a reflection of our social relationships, economy, thoughts, and concerns. I have already explored this social phenomenon in depth in another article. In short, this phenomenon has turned the world upside down, creating opportunities and wealth while also bringing new challenges. Human software (thoughts) and hardware (brains and bodies) are no longer able to operate smoothly in this world full of complex forces and difficult-to-understand cause-and-effect relationships, but this world is affecting our lives.

We have an inexplicable fear of the unknown. When we see others have something we can't have, we will be very eager.

No one takes blockchain seriously except you

After explaining so much, I want to tell you from an emotional and rational perspective that it is impossible to "sell" blockchain technology to the public only from the level of working principles. Seeing this, even if you are the most ardent libertarian, you should think about whether the design principles of smart contracts are important to an ordinary person (of course not). I just want to tell you that you should stop going to Facebook to stage "fights" and stop posting articles on Zerohedge (a financial news website) shouting "wake up!" It's simply a waste of time. You should start by developing simple apps to solve some real problems. I am an expert in computer technology, I have a better understanding of the principles of blockchain technology, and I am also the organizer of the first ETH developer training program. Even I can't name three (!!!) apps that have no loopholes and are highly practical. I can only say that OpenBazaar is good, and I really don't know about the others.

I really hope that you can develop some apps based on blockchain technology. Although the light of this technology may be overshadowed, it can at least prove that it can provide thoughtful services and is indeed feasible. And this is the only way for you to get more blockchain users: help them solve problems, and then they will pay corresponding rewards.

Does it sound strange that I am giving a lecture to a group of people with rich knowledge of economics and business?

A system without human involvement is meaningless

Don’t tell me you want to eliminate human error. That’s impossible and you’d be foolish to insist on that. Not many people want to eliminate human error. The only people who want to eliminate human error are: crypto tycoons and extremely smart anarchists and libertarians who worry about being hacked and scammed by cybercriminals; and governments who want to eliminate the risk of cybercrime and make sure they are the key holders of multiple double-encrypted cold wallets. And the average person who forgets their email password all the time. You expect them to learn complicated steps just to protect their small savings? That’s foolish.

This is one of the biggest problems I see in the crypto community: die-hard techno-utopians trying to avoid the problems of building reliable systems. In short, it’s a people problem…

I understand that you are aware of how unjust government agencies and corrupt corporations are. You may even be a victim. But no technology can solve this problem, and if you insist on thinking so, you are just asking for trouble.

I am not surprised that the entire crypto community has such a hard time with governance. If you are against managing users and their assets, then tragedies like the theft of exchanges such as Mt. Gox and DAO will surely happen again, not just once, but countless times. Only when the community builds a stable, appropriate, and fair institution can it help ordinary users find their way in uncertainty and difficulty.

Take action

Let me make it clear: If you do not step up and accept this difficult task at this critical moment, those with impure motives will take advantage of the opportunity, and then all kinds of crises and injustices will repeat themselves, just like in today's society. Step away from your computer for a while, go for a walk, and think about how much you want a free society. Ask yourself how much of your advocacy for freedom is out of anger about your own situation, and how much is truly for the benefit of ordinary people.

If the former is more common, I can only wish you good luck and hope that one day you can truly grow up and understand the truth.

If the latter is the case, then I congratulate you. You have chosen a path that few people have taken, and you have sacrificed a lot along the way. I hope you can connect with me and other like-minded people to jointly shoulder the responsibility of changing society and solving problems. On this road, we only speak the truth and stick to ourselves. We have faith. Maybe the work every day is boring, but one day, we will bring trust back to this society and give people a fair and just management agency.

After reading this article, I ask you again, can you really change the world with blockchain?