“When the moon is in the seventh house
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will find our planet
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius Aquarius” —AQUARIUS
If you know these lines well, then you’re probably a BOOMER. If you have not heard this song of hope from the 60’s and are not a Boomer, welcome, read on and feel free to participate in the plan.
“Age of Aquarius”1, was first sung in 1967. It was the time of a second turning, according to Strauss and Howe’s book, “The Fourth Turning”. Much of the music we listened to spoke of our mood at the time. We were young and tired of living in the “Little Boxes Full of Ticky Tacky That all Look the Same”2 The top down order imposed after WWII was beginning to fray as we longed for more freedom. We also felt the need to demand change; to protest about civil rights, war, and pollution, yes we really cared back then too “Revolution”3. We were tired of meaningless consumption and read the Whole Earth Catalogue in order to become more self-sufficient, we shopped at second hand stores and considered communal living. We were angry and disillusioned; we wanted to drop out more than ever after the assassinations of JFK and MLK. We cried when we heard the lyrics to “Abraham Martin and John”4 knowing that something had changed, but not what to do about it. In America, we also cried as friends never made it back from Vietnam, “There’s Something Happening Here What it is Aint Exactly Clear”5. Some of those friends who did return home would never be the same again “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”6. Most of us could not foresee the future when Richard “I’m not a crook” Nixon took America “Temporarily” off of the gold standard in 1971 “What’s Going On”. He did it in part to rescue the faltering dollar after borrowing excessively for that damn war we’d been protesting “Eve of Destruction”7. His act of treachery helped fertilize the seeds of inflation and crony capitalism that are crippling our world today. Too late, we learned that those seeds had been planted in Bretton Woods New Hampshire in 1944 with a post war monetary accord. Now in our 60’s and 70’s, we boomers often ask where the time went; we had such a hopeful future. Sadly, this future is a different one than we dreamed of….so what happened? Had our ideals had been gradually ground down? Many had been drafted to fight in a war that they abhorred. We had gotten the education they told us to, survived the double digit inflation of the 70’s; we saved, invested, and tried to succeed. Over time, some of us gave up and were re-absorbed into the very system we had been fighting. The rest of us swam upstream like salmon, making it all of the way this fourth turning only to discover, that it now looks a lot like everything we rallied against in the 60’s. Had we been beaten down by “The Man” and fought into submission with our own tax dollars? Maybe, but it’s not over, now there’s a new hope.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE, WE MIGHT HAVE JUST BEEN TOO EARLY AND DIDN’T HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS.
Some astrologers say that “Jupiter Aligns with Mars” was incorrect in the song Aquarius, and should have been “Jupiter Aligns with Saturn”, but of course, Saturn doesn’t rhyme with “STARS” in the next line of the song. Ok Ok it was the 60’s, you had to be there….
A few astrologers have recently commented that Jupiter and Saturn have now come into alignment, and we are entering the real Age of Aquarius. If so, then where is that peace and love that the song promised? Consider for a moment, that it might be on the doorstep knocking, and needs our help. It’s saying that we can still be a part of that promise, astrology or not. In any case, this premise may well be worth buying into. As we discovered, words of protest on placards speak to deaf ears, however as they say, money speaks; especially to those who thirst for power. Money that yells, is that which is in your own control and no one else’s, it refuses to be manipulated or inflated into oblivion through empty promises, something that mere protest cannot accomplish. Our problem back in the 60’s and 70’s, was that we didn’t have the two ingredients required to effectively create the change we were so desperate for. Those ingredients were Savings and Bitcoin. Today, with those two key elements available, we have the tools to accomplish what protests could not do in our youth.
The Plan:
Part A:
Suspend your preconceptions and begin to learn about Bitcoin. If you’re retired and bored, god knows, you have the time. Learn how to hold Bitcoin in your own secure custody [not an ETF or something else subject to the same meddling that’s gotten us where we are today]. Take some of those retirement savings, as much as you’re comfortable with and buy some Bitcoin. Add to those savings as your knowledge and comfort grows. Learn how to hold it securely, find out more about it as you watch it appreciate. It does appreciate you know; despite the naysayers, it’s the best performing asset of the last decade with an annualised growth rate of over 230%. Discover that you can transmit small amounts as you would an email to virtually anyone, anywhere in the world without permission or a middleman. And, you can do it all for a pittance. As you learn more, you’ll begin to feel the kind of freedom and empowerment we longed for so badly in our youth. It’s the kind of freedom that some of your children, even grandchildren are working at today. With some humility, we can let them help us help pull back the curtains to a brighter future. After decades, this is finally the opportunity to push that boot of authority off our chest and allow our money speak as the protest signs couldn’t.
Part B:
1) [First, A little Anthropology]
Some of us are fortunate to live in the traditional territory of the Coast Salish People who have existed on the west coast of Canada and Northwestern U.S.A. for thousands of years. And, while the colonizers considered their ways primitive, they and their neighboring first nations had long, stable and flourishing cultures rich in art and ceremony. One ceremony that stands out is “POTLATCH”, something the colonizers attempted to ban but failed at in the end.
Potlatches were [and are] joyous celebrations and distributions of wealth, where successful chiefs or band members would gift their prized possessions to others thus binding the group tighter together. There were many reasons for a potlatch, birth of a child, marriage of a family member, and especially a celebration of life where a successful elder, knowing that their days were limited, would pass their wealth forward to ensure the success of others. Doing so brought esteem, created tighter bonds and helped groups weather the inevitable challenges with a strong sense of connection and caring.
2) BITLATCH
As we boomers advance in years, there comes time for quiet reflection about our lives and their meaning. We begin to think about what we’ve accomplished and what will happen after we die. As the years grow fewer, those thoughts become more frequent. What will be our final legacy? Will we gift all of our accumulated value to our children? Hopefully, if all goes well, the kids won’t end up in court fighting over their inheritance, we surely hope not. We recall with sadness, stories of old friends whose holdings were “picked clean” contrary to their final wishes. And, if we don’t have children, what then? Does the tax man get most of it, so governments can keep making impossible promises for a few more days or weeks further tainting the future? Perhaps it’s time to consider a modern potlatch…. a BITLATCH. Bitcoin can become transformational to estate planning. Holding some wealth securely in Bitcoin can open up almost limitless possibilities. You can be comfortable in the knowledge that its value will continue to increase while you’re still alive, or even as it’s held in trust after you’ve passed. This is in distinct contrast to most fiat currencies which are fraying away like moth eaten socks. As Bitcoin’s value appreciates, so does our ability to improve the future. We can help build peace, care for environment, human rights, and send hope anywhere in the world, even beyond our own lifetime. Remember those inequities we protested in our youth? Now we can do more than paint signs calling for change. We can enable change by directly and securely funding the things we care about, free from repression and with almost no friction. Anywhere in the world, and with little difficulty, micro-transfers of Bitcoin can help empower change. It can also help clean up other messes that thoughtless members of our own and other generations have created. After we’ve passed, we can fertilize positive change for the earth and her inhabitants. Put another way, the fruits of our life’s labor can continue to work for betterment even without us.
In the lands of Potlatch, late in life, the salmon return to where they began, thus completing their life cycle. They provide nourishment for their young, and enhance the future of old growth forest ecosystems with the remains of their life’s stored energy. This is the spirit of Potlatch. Bitlatch enables us to do the same, this time with a global reach.
Please ponder that as you listen to and remember those songs from the past [listed below] and maybe some other old favorites. Allow the spirit of our youth to return. Reflect on how you hoped to change the world and see that there is still opportunity. Learn that Bitlatch is a way of distributing value to the things that are important to you, helping to enable the brighter future “Age of Aquarius” held out.
If you’re not a Boomer and have followed the story this far, kudos to you for hanging in. Consider sharing the concept of BITLATCH with others and watch the world change for the better. Even consider working towards your own Bitlatch in the future. As Bitcoin further appreciates, it will be poised to provide greater power in achieving the peace and love we dreamed of. ₿=☮
LEARN:
• https://lookingglasseducation.com/bitcoin-people-podcast-episode-49-educate-plan-secure-your-bitcoin-estate/
• Bitcoin Estate Planning with Peter Dunworth (SLP486) https://youtu.be/wP0OKyWh8gQ?si=8b3z3ClR_g3h8ibP
• Human rights Foundation https://hrf.org/
• The Giving block https://thegivingblock.com/
• Helpers Social Development Foundation https://www.helpersfoundation.org/donate-bitcoin-to-charity/
END NOTES:
1 Aquarius, The Fifth Dimension 1969
2 Little Boxes Full of Ticky Tacky, Malvina Reynolds/ Pete Seeger 1962/1963
3 Revolution, The Beatles, 1968
4 Abraham Martin and John, Dion 1968
5 What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye 1971
6 Ruby Don’t Take Your love to Town, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition 1969
7 Eve of Destruction, Barry McGuire 1965
