It’s a pretty often-heard claim, “Those rich people didn’t have to bust their asses to earn all that money, they were just lucky!” Well, now that BTC is over $100USD, a lot of us are considerably wealthier than we were before. We reached this point by busting our butts to earn money (or pay down borrowed money or electric bills in some cases), and then investing that hard-earned money into something very risky, that a lot of people were practically shouting to stay away from, saying it was way too risky, it was a ponzi, it was stupid internet funbux, it’s not backed by anything, it will only crash, you can’t buy anything with it, it’s only used by criminals, the government will just shut it down, and so on. (I’m looking at you, SomethingAwful, Slash Dot, Ars Technica…)
Now that these risks have given us huge returns, I have already seen at least one, “Oh, you just got lucky,” in reply to someone saying, “But.. But.. I made all this money!” This is where it starts, and I have already seen where it typically progresses:
* You didn’t work for that money, you were just lucky!
* You just got lucky, so you don’t deserve that money!
* It’s unfair that you have that money and I don’t, since you just got lucky (and I didn’t bother taking the risk and called you stupid for it). That money should be spread fairly!
* Finally, the money is either taken, or we are resented for having it
So, first they hate us for being stupid idiots for taking a risk in something they specifically refused to understand, then they hate us because we “just got lucky.” Well, for me, personally, luck had zero to do with it. I had prior experience with virtual currencies (incidentally, in another place that many of these same people claimed was stupid), I took the time to understand the technology behind Bitcoin, and I know its potential, I know the steps it has to go through to reach them, and I know it isn’t done yet. I wasn’t lucky, I used my head and put my money into something I understood very well. Now those people who thought they were so much smarter than the rest of us, who were trying to convince everyone how this funny money is stupid and anyone investing anything into it is an idiot, are left with exactly what they deserve (never mind that their follow-up reasons for why they thought Bitcoin was stupid were some of the most moronic economic misconceptions I’ve ever read).
Honestly, it has been a bit eye-opening to be on the other side of this thing (the making money by “just being lucky” as opposed to resenting those with lots of money who seemed to have done little to get it). I used to be with them, briefly. I’m not sure if they can ever understand or get there too. Should stupidity be rewarded or compensated somehow because “it’s not their fault?” Should we be wary of the “you just got lucky” steps I listed above? Should we just gloat at the idiots who used to make fun of us while being oh so sure of themselves? Or should we just continue to be ourselves, continuing to make wealth by applying our heads, being generous with our families and friends, enjoying our accomplishments, and giving as little attention to the screaming idiots as possible?
(Though they are entertaining at times)
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