This is an op-ed by Hector Alvero, a Bitcoin guru who serves as co-host of the Broward County Bitcoiners Meetup.
As Bitcoin customers, we love the exhilarating feeling of bringing someone new into the Bitcoin lifeboat. Many of us are constantly running orange pills to our friends, co-workers, and neighbors, trying to save as many as we can before the Fiat sinks. We’ll even try putting an orange bean on the waiter at our favorite local restaurant, helping them download a Lightning wallet and giving them a bigger tip to help them “out of zero”.
But what about your mother? Did you give her the same gift you gave the Uber driver who took you home from your last conference or meetup? Have you taken the time to help them understand the impact of inflation on their economic security, and how Bitcoin can protect them from the next financial earthquake? Did you help her understand what money is and why Bitcoin is the greatest savings technology ever discovered?
If you have, I salute you. If you’re not quite there yet, this Mother’s Day is the perfect time to show her that you love her enough to take the time to understand Bitcoin.
You might be thinking, “She already tried, but she just didn’t get it.” I can sympathize with that. Mom didn’t get it right away either. She said it sounded like a Ponzi scheme and that it couldn’t have been money because it wasn’t real or backed by anything.
You may have heard some of these objections. Maybe you’re frustrated and think you should just let it go. If so, ask yourself this question: How often has your mother explained something to you that you didn’t understand at first? She probably didn’t just give up on helping you learn and grow. Will you abandon her now when her entire future is at stake? Of course not…you are Bitcoin.
Think back to when you first heard about Bitcoin. Did you get it right away? I was not. A friend told me about Bitcoin at a Halloween party in 2015, and while I didn’t dismiss it, I certainly didn’t understand its significance at first. Life was busy, so I forgot about it for about a year until he tried again in late 2016 and helped me learn enough to buy a small amount and start my journey. You probably have a similar story of someone who kept trying until you understood this revolutionary technology enough to take your first step on the path to economic freedom and sovereignty. Imagine how different your view of the future would be if they didn’t keep trying.
Remember, Bitcoin is hard to get a taste of. It was for me, and it might have been for you, too. It is also difficult to understand an older person because they have lived longer in their economic conditions than a younger person has, and are often more reluctant to accept a new paradigm. Change can be scary, especially for someone who may feel confused about why the world is spinning out of control. It may take a little more patience. It may take a few more conversations or breaking down big topics into smaller ones before your mom’s light bulb lights up. Try to find something that can relate to these bitcoin fixes and focus on that aspect alone. Relevance is a powerful tool of persuasion.
Break up bitcoin topics for your mom
For my mom, what made the light bulb go on in her head was when she linked one piece of Bitcoin’s value proposition to something she understood from her own life. In her case, it was Bitcoin’s resistance to censorship and seizure.
My mom grew up in Cuba and was a teenager when Fidel Castro was He rose to power in the late fifties. She remembers how her family’s meager cash savings, which my grandfather kept in a glass jar hidden in the house, were demonized when the new regime came to power. My grandfather refused to hand over the money and buried the urn in the backyard. He was confident that eventually everything would return to the way it was before and the old currency would be accepted again.
This never happened, and my grandparents had to flee the island with my mom soon after. They also had to leave behind worthless pieces of paper buried in their backyard, which they also no longer owned thanks to the new government’s abolition of private property rights.
They lost money and a house and barely escaped with their lives. When I talked to her about bitcoin in terms of being property that no one could take from her, she got it.
Give the gift of Bitcoin this Mother’s Day
This Mother’s Day, I encourage you to consider trying again. Try again like your mom encouraged you to do when she taught you to ride a bike, and try again even when you kept falling. Try again like my mom did when she taught me to stand parallel, even after running over the trash can…twice.
She never gave up on you, and now it’s your turn to believe in her and return the favor. Now is the moment when you can show her that the lessons of perseverance, patience, and love have taken root. This Mother’s Day is your chance to save her life and her future, and to repay her for giving both of these things to you.
This is a guest post by Hector Alvero. The opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.