Has Bitcoin fostered the 'denationalization' of social imagination?

It can be said that Bitcoin has indeed greatly propelled this "denationalization" social imagination. In fact, one could argue that this is precisely one of Bitcoin's most captivating charms.

Let me try to explain it to you in plain language:

1. Money, it turns out, can exist without a "boss."

The money we typically use, whether it's RMB, USD, or JPY, all have a "boss" behind them—the state (or rather, the central bank). This boss decides how much money to print and when. If they print too much, the money in our hands loses value, which is called inflation. The boss can also decide whose money can be frozen and whose accounts can be closed.

Bitcoin, for the first time, proved to the world: money can exist without a boss.

It is not issued by any country or company; it simply operates according to a fixed set of code rules. Its total supply is constant (21 million), and no one can change it. As long as you have your private key, no one can seize or freeze your Bitcoin.

This opened up a space for imagination: perhaps the economic activities we rely on don't necessarily have to be firmly controlled by the state. We could have a "world currency" that belongs neither to the US nor to China, but solely to everyone who uses it.

2. It built a "parallel highway."

You can imagine the traditional financial system, controlled by the state, as a highway built and managed by the government. To drive on this road, you have to abide by its rules, pay its tolls, and sometimes, if it doesn't let you on, you simply can't get on.

Bitcoin, on the other hand, is like building a new, decentralized "dirt road" (perhaps slow in its early days) right next to it, which gradually evolved into a "parallel highway." On this road, there are no toll booth attendants; the rules are maintained collectively by all drivers (miners and users). Wherever you want to go, as long as you have an internet connection, you can send your "goods" (Bitcoin) to any corner of the world, and no one can stop you in between.

This feeling of "having another option" is itself a dissolution of state power. When people discover that they can safely store value and transfer wealth even outside the traditional financial system, the state's absolute authority in the financial realm is naturally challenged.

3. "Social imagination" outweighs actual application.

To be honest, even today, very few people actually use Bitcoin to buy coffee or pay rent. For most, it's more of an investment asset, akin to "digital gold."

But this doesn't prevent it from fueling the "denationalization" imagination.

Just like the early internet, many people didn't understand it or thought it was useless, but it fostered an imagination of "information freedom" and "connecting the world." This imagination attracted countless geniuses and capital, ultimately leading to the internet world we have today.

Bitcoin is the same. It may not be perfect yet—transactions are slow, it's energy-intensive, and prices are volatile—but it has successfully transformed an idea that once only existed in the minds of geeks and libertarians into a living, multi-trillion-dollar reality.

It has made tens of thousands of people around the world begin to ponder:

• Do we truly need a centralized institution to trust?
• Who should define individual financial sovereignty?
• In today's globalized world, can we have a financial tool that transcends national borders?

To summarize:

So, to say that Bitcoin has already achieved a "denationalized" society is certainly far from the truth. The power of the state remains very strong and can influence cryptocurrencies through various means like regulation and taxation.

However, to ask if it has promoted this "imagination"? The answer is an absolute yes. It's like a seed of thought; once planted, it has taken root in many people's minds. It has allowed people to concretely see, for the first time, that a monetary system not dominated by the state is possible. This "possibility" itself is far more significant than whether Bitcoin's current price goes up or down.