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As I start to write this article I have agreed to do something I don’t believe in, not because I want to, but because enough pressure has been put on me to do so. I could be angry for being put in this position (and partly I am), but I believe every crisis is an opportunity for a deeper understanding, as well as a meaningful change.
I’m starting to see the world in trends, when I see something happen I think to myself “is this likely to happen again?”. Meaning, is the trend going to increase or decrease in the future?
I have identified some trends as a risk to my personal sovereignty. My focus for the rest of my life will be to take conscious action to shield myself from them so as to not face the challenge I face today, in which I am forced to do something I’d otherwise wouldn’t.
I want to become as resilient as I can to endure outside pressures, maintain my sovereignty and not have to act in defiance of my own ideals.
1- Censorship:
I have seen many creators and commentators being completely shut down by the big tech companies. I believe they enjoy a quasi-monopoly rule over online content. They have the largest audience and they know it. Some of the people I have followed for a long time were suddenly shut down, losing the access to the community they work so hard to create. Often the rules they use to enforce such measures are poorly explained, one can even argue they are vague and hard to understand on purpose, to be used as a weapon to those who speak against the commanding narrative. Individuals with a large enough audience seem to recover and be fine. This however, for someone starting out like me, is a major threat in my future. Especially when considering that I want to use the power of the internet, and these articles to share my honest view with the world. I’d like to not have to self-sensor and just speak freely.
Since my main goal with my blog is not to make money, but rather let my thoughts out and hopefully attract and interact with like-minded people. Having the freedom to say what I believe without fear of being shut down over night is as essential as breathing.
To prepare myself for this I am paying attention to alternative social media like Minds, Rumble, Odysee, PUBLISH0X and Torum. There are many out there and they all offer varying degrees of security in this aspect. The drawback is that none of them can provide the reach that Big tech can. I am ok with that, I'm currently following this space closely and try to stay active and publish my content in all of them. Hopefully this will make me more resilient and hard to silence.
I’m also maintaining my own website, even though the hosting is not owned by me, meaning I could be shut down by them.
2- Centralized banking control:
Some of my friends say I am a bit paranoid over this. In short, I don’t like the idea that someone else has the power to basically shut me down economically. This is such a powerful tool, too powerful (I’d argue) to be in anyone’s hands.
Again, as my only objective here is to communicate what I really think on subjects that I consider to be important, I can’t help but feeling that this is a crucial point of failure.
For me here is where Bitcoin comes in. It provides a true censorship resistant network, where I can keep my money safe and far away from enemy actors. One of my main goals is to switch as much of my economic activity there (over time) as possible. Part of what I seek with my content is to reach and become a part of it’s global community. The most vulnerable point of attack for it is the “fiat to crypto” bridge, knowing people whom you can trade in a peer to peer fashion will be extremely valuable.
3- Job dependency:
The third and final piece of the puzzle is a really tough one. How can I work in such a way that I’m hard to neutralize by external forces. I wish this question was easier to answer and had a clear cut solution. Of course the best way would be to have my own online business, then I could run it from anywhere in the world and work even during lockdowns.
Right now this is my main issue, since lockdowns started I was unable to work. This made me completely dependent on the state and at its complete mercy.
While starting an online business sounds great, the reality is that it is not very easy to do successfully. I have tried and so far failed at doing so. It is something that takes a lot of energy and time, two things I might not have much of. I like my blog to be free from economic incentives, so as to not have to judge it’s success by whether or not it produced enough money. I believe that having a place where I can speak honestly and freely is extremely valuable to have, but that could get tainted once economics starts to play a major part.
For this, it is very important that I make money elsewhere. But as time goes by, I need to find a way to make myself resilient to this. Something I need to think long and hard about.
Well there you have it, these are my main concerns right now. I do not have the solution for all these quandaries, but at least writing and talking about it is super helpful. As I keep them in mind while going through life I can start to see potential solutions, and take advantage of the opportunities that would lead me to freedom.
My main objective is to start the process of leaning towards the type of life that will give me the most options, while at the same time, makes me more resilient to outside influence of any kind.
Ultimately, I know I can’t be 100% self reliant. We are after all, a community-driven species. But I need to be stronger so I can say no, when the outside world goes too far. I need to become a sovereign individual.
