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Wednesday 1 March 2023

Reflecting on Efforts for Orange Pilling

I don't try too hard to orange pill people anymore and I think this is proving to be my most successful method. I meet the person where they are and try to really listen to them and be in their ideal friend conversation mode. In other words, I am just relaxed and tell them, if they are interested, about the good things that have happened in my life because of bitcoin. 

I think it's valuable for bitcoiners, who for good reason are passionate and excited about telling people and teaching people about bitcoin. Sometimes I think less is more when trying to win over people who can be quite sceptics. Here is my example orange pill dialogue.

To keep it simple it often starts off with the financial aspect. A new person you meet often asks

>"what do you do?" 

I say "well I kind of semi-retired when I was 37 a few years ago and now I work on small projects that excite me to do with bitcoin and the lightning network."

>"Oh man that's cool, my job is such a grind." 

They might ask and continue the conversation on bitcoin or your work, or not, but it doesn't matter because you have planted a powerful seed. The financial benefits seed.

You can say (responsively to what they said and if they want to talk about the subject) "yeah I know how you feel, my job used to be like that, I still like to work hard though."

Let them talk, and leave space, there is no pressure or urgency to explain to them all the beautiful things about bitcoin, it would be too much at once anyway. 

I might say " my main thing at the moment is .... it's pretty cool, you should check it out." 

Shilling your stuff to newbs however, I think is a personal thing and might not be the best for bitcoin overall. Most importantly you have planted a financial seed ( could be your retirement plan) and the most important is that you stay friends with this person. 

Next, you can have a drink (non-alcoholic of course) and so you can really become friends. At a bar, if they want, you can pay them for half of a round with Bitcoin, a good time to introduce the lightning network. This payment use is the second step. 

Getting people to experience what bitcoin is, might take years, but people generally need to see how bitcoin works. 

>"its that easy?" 

"yeah anyone can get into it, you can go really deep though."

Once they have seen an app and seen the price movement, hopefully up, they can build a basic understanding and this has the power to break a lot of built-up scepticism. The material experience can do things an abstract conversation often can't. 

You might have to wait till the third date or after the dating stage to tell them about all the other great bitcoin things. I know you wan't to talk about the huge wide-ranging positive effects on people, to their minds and their health, about the great liberating political implications and peaceful but potent killing off of parasite corporations, the dirty banks and the F** federal reserve, but you can't. If it comes before building new friendships you might not end up getting anywhere and might struggle to tread water yourself.

I say stack friends and orangepill gently.