An Open Welcome Letter to "Skull of Satoshi" Artist and Activist, Von Wong

An Open Letter To Artist and Activist Von Wong

March 26, 2023

Bitcoin Block Height 782518

Dear Mr. Wong,

At one time the United States Dollar was a grand beast, backed by gold, stronger than authoritarian despair. Sadly, it has been brought to heel. A mere fiat currency now, it is backed by debt. Through inflation it rapidly atrophies, but still crushes weaker currencies in its wake. At war with the poor, the Dollar is a terrible master and a grim slave, serving an endlessly exploding debt scheme. Yoked ever more tightly to deficits and liabilities, it soaks up the energy of the less fortunate. And, by God, it is wasteful. Because war and oppression are the eventual clearinghouses of sovereign debt, many people and even some nations are now learning to think beyond Dollar-debt madness. With Bitcoin.

I have an image in my mind that I can’t shake. A photo taken in 2021 by Japanese photographer Keiko Kanasugi. In it, a wild stag carries the head of its dead sparring partner on its antlers as it grazes on dried winter grasses. The wilder, stronger beast won some terrifying overzealous clash, and the loser’s decaying skull is stuck in its horns. The victor lives on. Nature is brutal, but fair.

Bitcoin is now that wilder, stronger creature. Fiat currencies, backed only by debt, militarism, and waste, are dying on its horns. Because Bitcoin is produced and secured by something better than debt: work. Work that can be done anywhere and that spurs the production of efficient and clean energy, especially in the Global South. And because Bitcoin cannot be inflated, it cannot be degraded by the macabre incentives of profligate governments. For this reason, oppressive governments fear it.

The Bitcoin community, as you have now seen, is a wild party. It’s a celebration of thought, memes, freedom, and of a superior monetary and savings technology. With its fixed issuance policy Bitcoin inspires holders to save and think long term, and deincentivizes wastefulness and decadent spending. As such, Bitcoin conserves energy, even as it utilizes it properly. And, unlike the company that paid Greenpeace to engage in a smear campaign against it, Bitcoin is decentralized. It has no rulers.

Thus, Bitcoin is the embodiment of a cooperative human effort that transcends governments. I liken it to many millions of people across the globe joining hands, holding tightly, and saying, directly to the powers that be, “We value truth, peace, full awareness of the structures that oppress us, and resistance to censorship. Join us.” After all, we know the stakes: to heal the planet, or let it die. To quote Jurassic Park: The Lost World: “No, thank you. I believe I’ve spent enough time in the company of death.”

Bitcoin travels at light speed, ever more available to those who would transcend grey cycles of debt-slavery, war, and waste. It distributes value and optimism as it roams: a natural force for good. As it moves into the places where it’s needed it strengthens people who have been disenfranchised by endless debasement and doom. As wasteful and debt-bedeviled fiat central banks reel and buckle, Bitcoin advances with fairness. In the short term, because it is beholden to no nation, even its price fluctuations resemble the leaps of a fierce, charging animal. In the long term, it soars.

Open-sourced, and accessible to all, Bitcoin now spars with every currency and asset on Earth. Unconfiscatable, it empowers the oppressed with censorship resistance. It embodies the real human values of liberty, bravery, and optimism in the face of all odds. And it grants Bitcoiners the seemingly contradictory qualities of celebratory wildness and humility, as we use this new technology and commit to a more just and decentralized world. A world based upon cooperation and hard work, and not on dominance and decay.

To me, understanding these ideals of Bitcoin are what it truly means to enter the Skull of Satoshi. I thank you for your vision, your energy, and your heart. I love the skull you made in appreciation of the transformative power of Bitcoin, even if your intentions were different when you began building it than they are now. I am proud that you have joined the conversation. I am hopeful that before long you too will call yourself a Bitcoiner. I would love to send you a satoshi, not as tip or payment, but as a brotherly spark of joy.

Very Sincerely Yours,

Cosmo Crixter (Bitcoiner)