The following piece of writing was originally published Nov. 4 2020 over on my old Cent page reflecting on my then half decade being a part of crypto (3 years as a builder and 2 years digging down into the rabbit hole). Honestly though, this piece feels more relevant now than ever, so I’m re-sharing it and putting it onchain.

"I saw a vision of us move in the dark; all that we did or dreamed of..."

That quote is from The Tower Beyond Tragedy by Robinson Jeffers.

What a trip.

I've been reflecting on the last 5 years of living and working in crypto-land and the early metaverse. It's crazy how far things have come. But it's mind-blowing how much further we can go.

Almost 5 years ago to the day I went on a walk with a workmate on the outskirts of Seoul. On that walk, I learned about Ethereum and smart contracts for the first time.

Down the rabbit hole I went. I read, listened, and watched everything on crypto I could get my hands on.

Then I started working at Cent in March of 2018.

Since then, a lot of folks have asked me, "Why?"

There's a long and short answer to everything. Let me try the short version.

Never has there been a time more pregnant with possibility than right now.

The birth of all the new golden ages is upon us.

Art. Business. Music. Humanity.

And they'll all bloom in crypto-land and the metaverse.

• The next Basquiats, Monets, Renoirs, Warhols, and Picassos will be crypto artists. Several are probably creating cryptoart right now.

• The next Jobs, Welches, Bezos', Fords, and Rockefellers will revolutionize business with crypto-powered systems and tools. I'm probably rubbing shoulders with a few of these characters in the metaverse right now.

• A new paradigm for music and the arts will emerge and explode in the metaverse and spill out IRL.

• Universal cooperation systems and networks will unlock ideas and ignite collaborations that know no barriers or restrictions.

• The political dams hoarding global power and governance are starting to leak. Soon power, opportunity, and the promise of a better way will pour out into the waiting wanting cups of the every person.

Don't get me wrong. Great stuff will continue to happen IRL. But the best stuff will happen in the metaverse and crypto-land.

The previous golden ages have all been bounded to earth. The next golden ages will be earth-proof.

Now look up, look out, and imagine your role in these impending golden ages. Then go make it so.

Cover image: "Sun dancer" by rama