Above in the photo was the last event of the two-day summit in Taipei - a panel discussion of “An Imagination of Decentralized World“. Leaders from different backgrounds around the world like CZ of binance, Jason Hsu the crypto congressman from Taiwan…
Actually I wasn’t paying much attention to what they said on stage, since I was so tired (and excited of course) from the two day activities and to be honest I have had enough dreams about the so called decentralized world that I decided to stop dreaming and really start to engage in something real that can really change this world, even just for a little bit. So, naturally I lost the interest of listening to others’ imaginations, even to those big shots (with all due respect to what they have accomplished though).
This event is no doubt a very successful one. I haven’t been to any international conferences on blockchain so far, only been to a few local ones and quite frankly the quality isn’t top notch. But this summit, ABS, really brought me some fresh views and the opportunities to learn more about some decent projects all over the world. So hats off to the guys behind all these - thank you!!
It was a great opportunity to meet people and get to know more about what’s happening out there. I know information mostly likely is all there on the internet, but still we all have the trouble of not knowing where to look or are devastated by the garbage projects or articles all over the place. It’s always great to have someone screening for you and invite those people to pitch in front of you.
But I am not gonna introduce any good projects I had come across there and not gonna repeat what opinions the speakers expressed there (I think they have all video-taped and online now). What I am going to share is the general feeling and thought I had after this blockchain party - generated after I stepped out of the venue or on my subway ride home
Below is a photo I took when I was about to enter the subway station - it’s a mall nearby the summit venue.
After two days of bombardment from all things blockchain/crypto, with mental excitement and physical fatigue, when I left the hotel and was walking on the street I had a strange feeling of “coming back from a space travel” and then returning to Earth. All my fellow passengers were gone and I was thrown back to the reality…
Did I feel lonely? Strangely, no.
Instead, I felt I was being weird in that fancy but eccentric cryptic space in that hotel I just came out. Looking at all those people walking on the street, most were getting off work and heading home and some were workers in the malls or restaurants nearby preparing for work…. Everything was so tranquil and business as usual…
Then a simple question popped into my head …
Does this world really need the blockchain?
As a blockchain/crypto enthusiast, it seems I should answer YES immediately, but I hesitated. Seriously, everything was so alright, who do I think I am to know what’s supposed to be better for the world?
I was troubled by this conflict on my way home and after passing a few stations, I had my version of answer to this question.
My answer is also simple and … honest: “I don’t know.”
I don’t. With all those imaginations and dreams and empty words on the screens, I really think we don’t know yet. At least, IMO, no one is qualified yet to say Yes, not even Satoshi Nakamoto. That doesn’t mean we don’t love blockchain anymore, but this answer of mine seems to convey two messages - 1) stay humble to the wisdom that shapes the existing world order and 2) talk after you have done something remarkable, not before.
It was then I came to realize what had been missing from the two day event - if blockchain is here to change the world and empowers everyone in the world, where the hell is everybody?
We cannot let blockchain become the remote topic of high class fancy hotel ball rooms or the new toy of the rich guys and smart geeks, or the jargon to create scams. It’s the responsibility for all that consider themselves in this business of the future.
From today on, I won’t describe myself as having passion for the blockchain technology but as having passion for using the concept of the blockchain to make a little part of this world better than yesterday. After all, blockchain is not an end, it is just a means. Why do we have passion for a tool per se?
Another wish I had when I left the hotel is that I hope blockchain in the future will be so user friendly that no one needs to FUD or FOMO or even know too much about this technology but still can easily benefit from it. I consider blockchain a technology (if it really qualifies for this term) a technology for all individuals and I hope that the benefit enjoyed by early adopters won’t be extremely high (reasonably high is expected to encourage adoption) and most important of all, it cannot be detrimental to the benefit for late comers. If not, it will become a game of money and lose its charm in the future where I hope and think humanity will be further emphasized.
Thanks for reading. I hope this post has somehow compensated for the previous two ABS posts of mine that were written in Chinese only.
Asia Blockchain Summit July 2 @ Marriott, Taipei - Day 1
Asia Blockchain Summit July 3 @ Marriott, Taipei - Day 2
This page is synchronized from the post: ‘Afterthought of Asia Blockchain Summit Taipei’