Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone.
Five years ago, I quit my private equity job to work in Bitcoin. On my way out, I told my boss how fiat was doomed and Bitcoin would change everything.
He nodded politely (looking back I must have sounded like such a douche).
Haven't spoken to anyone from that team since.
This week in Bitcoin Wisdom: when does Bitcoin conviction become cultism?
We’re covering 👇
What is the "Tyranny of a Calling"
Why Bitcoiners are particularly vulnerable to falling for it
Three ways to stay passionate without becoming insufferable
Let's get to it⚡
1️⃣ The Tyranny of a Calling
In "The Art of the Good Life," Rolf Dobelli tells the story of John Kennedy Toole - a novelist who believed so deeply in his calling that when the world didn't recognize his genius, he killed himself.
His mother later got his book published. It won the Pulitzer Prize. Posthumously.
Toole had talent. He also had an obsession that destroyed him.
Dobelli's warning is blunt, but Nietzsche said it better:
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies”
Why? Because lies can be disproven. But convictions? They're immune to evidence. You'll defend them even when they're destroying you.
The idea of a "calling" sounds noble. Find your purpose. Dedicate your life to it. Change the world.
But the tyranny begins when your calling stops being something you do and becomes WHO YOU ARE.
When your identity fuses with your mission, three things happen:
Criticism feels like personal attack. You can't separate "your idea is wrong" from "you are wrong."
Sunk cost takes over. You've sacrificed too much to admit doubt.
Relationships become collateral damage. Anyone who doesn't share your calling becomes an obstacle.
Sound like anyone you follow on Twitter?
2️⃣ Why Bitcoiners Are Particularly Vulnerable
Let's be honest: the Bitcoin community can be intense.
Exhibit A: Laser Eyes.
Remember when everyone added laser eyes to their profile pics? "We're not selling until $100K!"
Here's the problem with public posturing: once you've signaled your position to the world, you're psychologically locked in. Admitting doubt means public humiliation.
Michael Saylor is the extreme version. "We will never sell" - he's said it so many times that he can't sell now, even if he wanted to. His conviction became a cage.
Just two weeks ago, a false rumor spread that Strategy had sold 47,000 Bitcoin. Saylor had to jump on Twitter within hours: "There is no truth to this rumor." The mere suspicion of selling triggered mass panic. That's how trapped he is - he can't even be suspected of flexibility without causing a crisis.
Flexibility is an asset he traded away for Twitter applause.
As we discussed in The Game is Rigged, public commitments create prisons.
Laser eyes seemed fun. But they were identity traps disguised as solidarity.
Exhibit B: The "Orange Pill Everyone" Mission
I've been this guy. Twice.
At that private equity job, I didn't just quit - I proselytized on the way out.
Then last Christmas, I cornered my brother-in-law for 45 minutes after dinner. Decentralized ledgers. Inflation theft. The fall of fiat. His eyes glazed over. His wife finally rescued him with "we should probably help clean up."
I walked away thinking I'd planted a seed. He walked away thinking I'd joined a cult.
Evangelists need converts. When they don't convert, your identity feels threatened.
Now I may ruffle some feather for saying this, but the government and fiat system we love to criticize? They've done some good too.
Roads. Hospitals. The internet. GPS. The legal system protecting your property rights - including your Bitcoin.
"But the government is corrupt!" Sure, sometimes. "Fiat enables endless wars!" Valid criticism.
But the Bitcoiner who screams "abolish the Fed" while driving on public roads, protected by public police, educated in public schools... there's cognitive dissonance there.
This isn't an attack on Bitcoin. I'm as bullish as ever. This is an attack on losing perspective.
When being a "Bitcoiner" becomes your primary identity - above that of father, friend, or professional, then the tyranny of the calling has won.
I'm Curious... Does Bitcoin Define Your Personality?
3️⃣ How to Stay Passionate (Not Preachy)
Strategy #1: Internal Goals, Not External Ones
Here's the shift that changed my own perspective:
❌ External goal: Convince people to buy Bitcoin.
✅ Internal goal: Buy Bitcoin consistently and share my perspective when asked.
External goals depend on other people's decisions. You can't control them. When your uncle doesn't buy after Thanksgiving dinner, you feel like a failure.
Internal goals depend on YOUR actions. Stack sats. Learn the protocol. Be ready to answer questions respectfully when they come.
You control the input. Let go of the output.
Strategy #2: Steel-Man the Opposition
Can you articulate the BEST case for fiat currency? The strongest argument for central banks?
Charlie Munger said: "I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don't know the other side's argument better than they do."
If you can't explain why a reasonable person might NOT buy Bitcoin, you don't understand the debate well enough.
As we covered in Orange Box Thinking, intellectual honesty means stress-testing your own beliefs - not just attacking the other side.
Practical tip: Write down three legitimate reasons someone might prefer traditional finance. If you can't, you're not ready to persuade anyone.
Strategy #3: Apply the Golden Rule
Before launching into your Bitcoin pitch, ask:
"Would I want someone to talk to ME this way about THEIR passion?"
Imagine someone cornering you at Thanksgiving to explain their MLM for 45 minutes. While your turkey gets cold.
That's how you sound when you won't shut up about inflation.
Practical tip: I schedule 15 minutes every Monday to watch Celeste Headlee's TED Talk on better conversations. It's a weekly reminder that conversations are about listening, not converting.
🖋️ Key Takeaways
The tyranny of a calling happens when passion stops being something you believe in and becomes WHO YOU ARE. When criticism feels like attack. When you'd rather win an argument than keep a relationship.
John Kennedy Toole had a calling. It killed him.
You don't need to die on the Bitcoin hill.
You just need to be passionate, stack sats and study the protocol.
But remember: the goal is sovereignty, not isolation.
Until then, pass the turkey and talk about literally anything else.
Stay humble. Keep stacking.
Publius
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